Skip to content
  • Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • SaveYour.Town
Small Biz Survival

Small Biz Survival

Practical ideas for small town business and community builders

Small town main street
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS
Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • A white observatory dome against a mountainous background with sunlit storm clouds on the horizon.
    economic development | entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | tourism | trends

    Astrotourism for small towns and rural areas

    BySheila Scarborough June 5, 2026June 5, 2026

    If you are working to promote tourism in a rural area or small town, consider the niche travel trend called astrotourism. It’s just a fancy term for attracting people who like stargazing. A friend of mine asked what I knew about it, because she’s gotten inquiries from small towns about how they can take advantage of…

    Read More Astrotourism for small towns and rural areasContinue

  • Slide text: Times are changing. Putting new destinations on the map: rural towns, countryside, and back to cities. A domestic rediscovery. Blended travel creates longer stays and workcations. Brighter light on wellness.
    economic development | entrepreneurship | rural | tourism | trends

    Rural tourism trends say small towns are still cool

    ByBecky McCray March 27, 2023March 23, 2023

    But you already knew that Tourism Currents, experts on social media for tourism, wrote about 5 travel trends to blog about right now, and there’s a lot for rural communities to latch onto there. 1) Wellness Travel Sheila says, “where people can go to relax, detox, relieve stress, get a massage and spa treatments, eat…

    Read More Rural tourism trends say small towns are still coolContinue

  • For easier social media marketing, fill in the blank
    entrepreneurship | marketing | rural | social media | tourism

    For easier social media marketing, fill in the blank

    ByBecky McCray August 5, 2019August 4, 2019

    Sheila Scarborough and Leslie McLellan of Tourism Currents laid out a simple starting point for all your social media efforts. Good news: it’s as easy as filling in the blank. Fill in the Blank (Our company) is where (our customers) find (the thing we offer) with (this benefit) So all you have to do is…

    Read More For easier social media marketing, fill in the blankContinue

Howdy!

Since 2006, this site has been helping people like you in small towns move forward without waiting on outside experts, big budgets, or perfect plans. You don’t need any of that to get started.

If you care about your business, your downtown, or your community, you’ll find ideas here you can actually use. Take one. Try it out. Let me know how it goes for you.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

The Best of Small Biz Survival

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now

99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission

Get started as an outdoor outfitter without breaking the bank

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Read more of the Best of Small Biz Survival

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses.

Logo with "Shop Indie Local"
Graphic of US currency with the text Move Your Money, bank local, invest local
Multicolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week"
Save Your Town logotype

Copyright © 2006–2026 Becky McCray • Site by Webdancers

  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS
  • Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • SaveYour.Town