MAIN STREET HARDY

Then you need a technique for converting one tourist attraction, which most locations already have, or can uncover or create, into more than one attraction. If you have one of something, attempt first to develop more attractions that people with similar interests would enjoy.

Sometimes in smaller communities the additional attractions need to take the form of organizing a tour or joint promotion that extends over several nearby towns. In one area where I worked, about eight wineries in four or five towns over a 30 or 40 mile area combined marketing efforts with considerable success. You may have seen antique stores combine to help antiquers hop from one town to the next, to the benefit of all.

But back to the main point of developing another attraction. For example, if a visitor to your town is pointed proudly to one historic home open for tours, and the tour takes half an hour, that won’t give you critical mass for tourism. In this case, if this is the only historic home that survived, or the only one where you can obtain ownership and information, try a compatible and interesting restaurant, which can serve as a tourist attraction in itself, next.

The goal is to lengthen the amount of time spent in your location, which enhances the possibility that someone will need an aspirin or gasoline. Then both tourism and economic development benefit.

If you have developed your charming historic house and a nice complementary restaurant, next you need a couple of antique shops or unusual boutiques, and then maybe a bed and breakfast. If your tourism and economic development base is larger, add a non-chain inn or a really well-run chain motel, and a couple of restaurant choices, at least one of which would make a typical male feel comfortable.

Branch out, based on the reason your house is historic. If the person who lived there was a politician, that’s politics. If it was a famous general’s house, you could try a little military museum. If your town is where a famous author lived, develop another museum about other authors from a similar era or genre.

Critical to almost every tourism and economic development plan is the concept of the walk-around area. In one town with a spectacular mountain view, I successfully fought to connect the motels and fast food restaurants with a sidewalk with a view. Tourists and travelers (who can be converted to tourists) enjoyed the opportunity to take a short walk in the evening. In other situations, the walk-around area is critical to the success of specialty retail and certainly of historic districts.

Your walk-around area needs a walkway in very good repair, with good signage or an easily understandable structure, such as one large loop. Pleasant pedestrian-scale lighting would be very helpful. Everything along the walkway needs to be as pleasant and clean as possible. We don’t need to see your garages falling down, smell your stinkweeds, or hear your chain saws and lawn mowers incessantly.

At that point you are within reach of critical mass. Particular accidents of geography, such as being the only spot to stop along the interstate highway within 90 miles in each direction, may mean that you had critical mass already, but especially in this “captive audience” situation, you have an excellent opportunity to expand tourism and economic development.

Reprinted with permission from http://www.useful-community-development.org/