We’ve all heard it, and probably all said it to others too.
Your own town can seem so easy to get around, when it’s what you are accustomed to.
When I moved to the mountains of rural western North Carolina 20 years ago and asked for directions practically every day, the phrase I learned to cringe upon hearing was, “You can’t miss it.”
As soon as they said it, I knew I would. I was doomed.
If something was “a little bit down the road,” that meant it could be 1-5 miles. And a ‘fur piece’ (which means a far piece to those of you non-mountaineers) might even be 5-8 miles.
So when someone would put these phrases together and tell me, “It’s a big red barn a fur piece down the road and you can’t miss it,” well, then -
I knew I was really in trouble!
Seeing your community the way a first time visitor sees it is the key to providing clear directions to tourists. If they feel comfortable and safe, they stay around and invest in your community by purchasing meals, attending events, visiting stores and attractions, and staying a night or two in local hotels. Take a minute and invest in THEM by reading some great suggestions on “Writing Better Directions for Tourists.”
Rural businesses and small towns that attract large numbers of tourists are re-thinking their strategies this year, as the economy causes everyone to reconsider travel plans.
Apparently Americans’ views of corporate greed are even affecting the types of accomodations that travelers choose to stay in:
“Group and corporate travel are down considerably at many area hotels, a trend that Anderson said has been exacerbated by media reports and politicians who’ve made “luxury resorts the poster child for corporate excess.”
As a result, industry forecasts call for high-end destination resorts to see a 5.3 percent drop in revenue per available room this year, according to Anderson.
Kohler has been trying to make up for the drop in its group business by marketing more to leisure travelers.
“You’ve got to go where the fish are,” Anderson said.
Some conference centers are reporting group tour business is down, but that leisure travel is staying strong. If that continues to be true, that trend could be good news for rural tourism businesses. Corporate travelers and group tours have pre-arranged, usually tight daily schedules that prevent many spontaneous decisions about who and what they’d like to visit.
An increase in leisure travelers staying in small cities and resort areas should mean a potential increase in travelers with more time for daytrips, who could be attracted out to rural areas within easy travel distance.
Some rural chambers of commerce are approaching the situation from ‘the glass is half full’ perspective, hoping to maintain tourism at past levels and avoid a drop in tourist traffic. Kathleen Eickhoff, tourism director at the Elkhart Lake Chamber of Commerce in Wisconsin, wants to be realistic - as stated clearly in “Local businesses hope to capitalize on trend of vacationing closer to home“:
“We realize that if we can stay flat and maintain the growth we saw in 2008, it would be fantastic.”
To do so, the Elkhart Lake chamber has been aggressively marketing the area using online, radio and print ads in Milwaukee and Chicago. The chamber has not scaled back its advertising budget.
“People are still going to take vacations, but they’re not looking to go to Europe or Disney,” Eickhoff said. “Instead, they’re doing something closer to home; so we’re focusing our message on the traditional family lakeside getaway.”
So - If your rural business attracts travelers, or your community is working to increase its share of the tourist pie, ask yourself:
What can I do to make my business of greater interest to leisure and weekend travelers?
What actions can I take to let leisure travelers staying at area resorts know about my business and community?
What small cities and resorts are within 1 - 2 hours drive from my rural community?
What opportunities are there for collaborative marketing with other area businesses of interest to leisure and weekend travelers?
