Tourism gems from things you take for granted

You have local traditions and things you take for granted; things that your visitors would love to be part of.

Here's an example from outside Nassau, Bahamas, that could have been from your small town. In the evening, locals come out to the beach along Arawack Cay. They stroll, they feed the gulls, they sit in their cars and watch the ocean, and the old men play dominoes. I didn't find this in any guide book. No one told me about it. We just happened to stroll into it, and felt the local small town feeling. It gave me a tiny insight into the real people who live there.

There's an equivalent in your town. Something great that no one thinks about. Where do your locals get together? Think about walks in the park, kids sports where people still sit on blankets on the grass, concerts downtown, and the place where the old men play dominoes.

Here's why it matters: if you can let your visitors be part of that local feeling, they will be better connected to your place. They will leave happier, and they are more likely to want to return.

Discussion question: what is your local version, and how can you help visitors feel a part of it?

Photos by Becky McCray.

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