A Community must know what it has to sell! Tourism opportunities in a community must be determined: What currently exists; what are the PREREQUISITES?: Potential future development.

There must be things to do and see: (Regular Hours Posted)

• Theatres
• Museums
• Beaches
• Festivals/Events
• Specialized Activities/Casinos
• Shopping
• Sports/Events

There must be visitor services and facilities

• Hotels/ Motels, B & B
• Airports/Highways
• Local Transportation, Buses, taxis, rental cars
• Food Outlets; Restaurants, Fast Food
• Equipment Rental; Tours

There must be informational and promotional programs to inform the potential visitor of the product.

A commitment to support must be obtained from local governmental officials.

• Must be prepared to provide the necessary services for additional visitor (long term support)

Local residents, community groups and civic leaders must support the plan to host additional visitors (poor host-poor public relations – word of mouth)

Realistic assessment of the public cost of tourism. Make a determination if benefits outweigh costs.

Example: Tourism compared to other industries is relatively pollution free and places few demands on local services such as schools; other services including police and sanitation must be adequate.

The services and facilities required to support tourism development must be assessed to determine if the area can fulfill additional visitor demands.

• Example: Hotel rooms restaurants, public facilities to meet the expected tourism demand? Is the present visitor information program adequate?

SUMMARY OF STEPS TO DEVELOP A TOURISM PROMOTION PROGRAM

ADDRESS PREREQUISITES AND DETERMINE THAT EACH ONE IS SUFFICIENTLY SATISFIED. Of prime importance is an inventory of community assts to determine potential support of a tourism program and increased tourism activity.

ORGANIZATION of a tourism promotion program either as part of an existing agency or as an independent agency. Organization most frequently begins by forming a tourism “committee” consisting of local tourism industry and other leaders, interested parties, and those who have potential to provide funding.

STRUCTURING A PROGRAM to strengthen tourism. First steps are to:

1. Address the current level of program development and determine what activities need to be accomplished.
2. Locate sources and obtain sufficient funding for initial operations.

DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION of tourism promotion program. Make provisions for management structure, product identity and themes, sources of local support and program marketing strategy, specifically through basic research and work plan outlining goals and objectives.

MARKETING

The subject of promotional methodology is most directly linked to marketing strategy. If the inventory of community assets was correctly undertaken, what the program will sell (i.e., the product), should have been uncovered. Marketing/promoting a destination includes any or all of the following activities:
· Information brochures
· Special events listing
· Trade show participation
· Group sales/services (pleasure and or meetings, conventions, tour buses
· Public relations through publicity to consumer and trade travel publications
· Advertising
· Television
· Radio
· Networking with state, and regional tourism organizations
· Websites
o Blogs

An effective tourism promotion program need not cost much money if it can optimize cost-effective strategies, such as co-op advertising with the private sector, use of free publicity produced by travel writers, and public information dissemination. However, reaching the sophisticated tourism market could require a comprehensive marketing program.