A “fam” tour, or familiarization tour, is a common tool in the tourism industry, but almost no one takes time to explain the idea. Let’s go through the basics of fam tours for small business. Bloggers on a fam tour in Hutchinson, KS.That’s me and Jeanne on the left. Tourism expert Sarah Page explained that…
[If you are interested in training for social media marketing in tourism, look at the online courses Sheila Scarborough and I developed at Tourism Currents. Enrollment is now open. –Becky] Conservation is big on the national policy agenda, and that may spell opportunity for rural tourism. Last week, I listened in on the National Rural Assembly Webinar…
Location-based services help you to reach more potential tourism visitors. Two services to add to your tool box are Twitter Places and Whrrl. (See How do you make Foursquare relevant in small towns for an overview of how location-based services help you reach more potential visitors.) Twitter PlacesBy using Twitter Places, users can tie their…
Does your town have a slogan? Does it convey anything unique, or could it apply to any number of other towns? Generic lines like “Best Little Town” or “Heart of…” don’t really tell your visitors anything. Our friend Mike Knutson of Reimagine Rural brought up this idea, after reading this list of South Dakota town slogans….
Every tourism business needs photographs. Lots and lots of photographs. But not every photo is equally compelling. As I look through tons of destination and tourism websites, I notice a theme. Where are the people? Your new water park is amazing. Why is it empty? That playground must be wonderful fun, but I don’t see…
Lots of local tourism groups and chambers of commerce send out excellent email blasts to their members. If you send an email newsletter, I’ll bet you routinely talk to people who didn’t know about it. It’s like the best kept secret. Did you know you could be multiplying your reach with social tools?You can use…
This is the second of several reports from the Making Place Matter in Northwest Oklahoma Rural Community Economic Development Summit held in Alva on June 3, 2010. A session on community building covered a wide range of topics, from the Main Street approach, to supporting local businesses, rural tourism, rural grocery stores, the participation of young people,…
If you are interested in training for social media marketing in tourism, look at the courses Sheila Scarborough and I developed at Tourism Currents. Enrollment for the new courses starts today. (yay!) Sheila Scarborough, Liz Strauss, and Becky McCray Sheila and I met on Liz Strauss’s Successful Blog, on her open mic nights a couple…
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