“The lines separating economic development, community development, tourism development, and workforce development are all blurring.”
Tourism is a traded business just as much as manufacturing.
Tourism is a vital part of the economic development of your town and your region. It brings in outside dollars to be spent locally. It allows businesses to survive that could not make it by relying on local customers.
Please don’t take my word for it. Let’s take the word of Ed Morrison, economic development expert.
“In the past, economic development professionals tended to look down on tourism development. Now, however, the lines separating economic development, community development, tourism development, and workforce development are all blurring.
Innovative regional leaders are getting back to basics. Any business that attracts money from outside the region tends to improve prosperity within the region. These traded businesses include tourism. ” Ed Morrison, cited in a 2006 post. (Yes, I was looking through my archives today.)
Here’s an updated version from a 2008 post:
Tourism is a traded business just as much as manufacturing.
Morrison is still saying it today, I’m sure. I picked this particular quote because it includes the magic economic development phrase “traded businesses.”
I still hear economic development people speaking of tourism as a lesser goal than other traded businesses. Too many small towns are focused on that “big score,” recruiting that one manufacturer that will change everything.
How are you blurring lines and building bridges with the tourism, economic, community and workforce development people in your region?
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
I agree 100%, especially about communities looking for ‘the big score’ to be the bailout. What happens if that one business tanks? Like investing, better to not have all your eggs in one basket!
People think that tourism jobs are low-paying. What about the construction jobs when a new hotel is built? Then maybe a local bakery provides cakes for the hotel. There is such a spinoff that people don’t think about.
Jessica, thanks for adding more about the spinoff businesses that result.
Tourism should be seen as an economic foundation. A place that is tourist friendly will be that much more attractive to business owners looking for a nice place to start or relocate their business. The more tourist friendly a community is, the more livable and desired, attracting “permanent” tourists (people who love a place so much they never leave).
GPye, thanks for considering the quality of life and attractiveness issues. That’s a good point.
Tourism should be considered a great source of economic development opportunities. I just cringe when I hear of any U.S. community still chasing after manufacturing plants. If it happens, that’s great. But more than likely, it won’t.
Look at it this way: if you do the things that would build tourism and bring tourists back to town for a second and third time, you are making your town more attractive. People may put up with a certain amount of junky landscapes, signs, and tacky businesses the first time, but they won’t come again.
So the way I look at it, the tourism dollars are just as valid as any other dollars brought into the community, and in the process of making yourselves look and feel pleasant to tourists, you also increase quality of life for yourselves and increase your general business attraction capability.
What’s not to like?
Thanks, Nancy. Glad to have your added thoughts.