Comments on Small Biz Survival: Developing small town tourism

Anonymous, I'm going to start a new post on th...

2011-06-04T08:21:18.486-05:00

Anonymous, I'm going to start a new post on this, and invite everyone to brainstorm along.

My Arizona small town is a mess. We are going to ...

2011-06-03T23:20:21.918-05:00

My Arizona small town is a mess. We are going to become a ghost town and/or absorbed into the County if we can't generate revenue. The Town Council and Chamber are full of power plays, bickering and a Good Ol' Boy attitude. We have no "quaintness" factor, no historical buildings, and not even a downtown center. Our business core consists of mixed-use buildings sprawled this way and that up and down the highway. However, we DO have a rich agricultural base that I'm positive can generate tourist income if approached correctly. I presented a proposal based on the "thematic approach" to tourism. My oral presentation was met with applause at the town meeting. But the Good Ol' Boys still seem to favor big box stores and factories as the answer to our economic woes, and the Chamber does nothing but point tourists to the surrounding towns that supposedly have more to offer. Is there a way to circumvent a self-destructing Council and Chamber? Wheels spin around here, but nothing productive EVER gets done. I'm just a "lowly" female citizen with a good brain, a great plan and enthusiasm. Can anybody suggest how I can proceed when I'm up against the Good Ol' Boys?

Thanks, Mike. You should also look at the Kansas S...

2010-01-09T19:51:25.305-06:00

Thanks, Mike. You should also look at the Kansas Sampler Foundation's other programs, including the awesome Kansas Explorers Club.

VisuaLingual, we have more similarities that most people realize, and we have lots to share with each other. Thanks for looking around our little corner of the rural world!

Fascinating! I currently live in Cincinnati, which...

2010-01-09T09:10:50.852-06:00

Fascinating! I currently live in Cincinnati, which is a larger community than what you've described, but which faces many similar tourism challenges. I really appreciate your common-sense approach to what communities can do to better understand and showcase their assets.

Nice post Becky. The Kansas Sampler Foundation is...

2010-01-06T06:29:21.423-06:00

Nice post Becky. The Kansas Sampler Foundation is onto something big with this idea because their approach helps tourists "get rural." Too often people travel through rural places and don't understand what they see. They then assume there's nothing there.

But when we "crowdsource" the promotional process using the KSF model, I think we get a more "authentic" portrayal of our rural communities. And that's a winning tourism strategy for rural communities to pursue.

Sue, was this in Okeene? I'll pass your commen...

2010-01-05T21:45:33.416-06:00

Sue, was this in Okeene? I'll pass your comment along to the Okeene Chamber, and see if anyone remembers. :)

Becky, Great post! And, any chance that you, your ...

2010-01-05T21:38:44.057-06:00

Becky, Great post! And, any chance that you, your mother or grandmother may remember a bunch of kids with a broken down bus in the mid-60's? I was on a cross-country trip with Wel-Met Camps, and our bus broke down. We spent 3 days camping in your park and you were the nicest folks ever! Still talk about the hospitality shown to a bunch of NY kids in desperate situation! Thank you!

Full credit for the 8 Rural Culture Elements goes ...

2010-01-05T11:58:05.087-06:00

Full credit for the 8 Rural Culture Elements goes to the Kansas Sampler Foundation. I only borrowed their approach, because I can't imagine coming up with a better one!

Sherri with the Okeene Chamber has forwarded this write up to all their members, so I hope they will be motivated to follow up with some new actions.

What I really found fascinating and useful what th...

2010-01-05T11:52:19.440-06:00

What I really found fascinating and useful what the process for analyzing the tourism assets. Sometimes these assets aren't apparent to locals because that's what they have always known. I do hope that you follow up by letting us know Okeene's strategy and how it has affected them.

Hats off to you and to Marci Penner at Kansas Samp...

2010-01-05T11:46:42.272-06:00

Hats off to you and to Marci Penner at Kansas Sampler! Your and Marci's approach is so helpful in moving small town residents to realize that visitors are going to love them just the way they are!

Thank you, MissDazey. It's fun to get a group ...

2010-01-05T09:30:11.220-06:00

Thank you, MissDazey. It's fun to get a group like that to talk about themselves, to share and learn. And I know much more about them now than I did when I got there!

This is one of the most interesting and informativ...

2010-01-05T07:49:18.720-06:00

This is one of the most interesting and informative reviews I'll read it a long, long time. If it were not so cold, I'd want to jump in the car and visit Okeene, OK

Becky, you told about them, not so much about you. That is one of the many things I like about you and your business practises. Too many times "consultants" just use their sites, blogs etc for hard sales.

Looking forward to hearing what Okeene does next.