Edmond Life and Leisure - May 8, 2025

Our Visit Edmond is the Best

They work quietly behind the scenes, providing both expertise and financial support for so much of what goes on in Edmond that you may not be aware of them.

Led by fearless leader and Tourism Director, Jennifer Thornton, the staff at this city of Edmond organization spends your tax dollars wisely. It is more accurate to say the tourism tax money that comes Ray Hibbard in from visitors staying in our hotels. That tax is what pays the way for them to operate and entice conferences and groups to come to Edmond, not your sales tax dollars.

Thornton did an excellent job of outlining what Edmond has to offer in the way of tourism on the front page of the May 1, 2025, issue of Edmond Life & Leisure. Tourism is the best kind of economic development you can have. Folks come to your town, spend their money and then leave. They spend money on food, gas, hotels, shopping and many other things. Yet, they do not eat up a considerable number of resources. It is darn near perfect.

This tourism traffic does not come without challenging work from the Visit Edmond staff. They recruit, publicize, inform, aide and help with so many activities that go on in Edmond. We owe them a giant thank you for their work. They have done so well that this group needs a seat at the table of our city’s efforts to grow economic development. I get the feeling our city officials sometimes forget how important what they do is to Edmond. When our economic development experts are deciding who and what to recruit to our town, they need to ask the folks at Visit Edmond first. Again, the best kind of tax revenue you can get is from visitors and requires no bond money or debt to get here.

We celebrate National Tourism Week in the first week of May and this year, it takes place from May 4 to 10. It is a week where we remind ourselves of the importance of traveling and seeking some kind of escape from our normal lives. There is some truth to the saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” and traveling is an opportunity to make our lives more fun. During this week, we also celebrate the travel and tourism industry that strives to create memorable experiences for tourists. It also gives us an opportunity to reflect on how tourism helps boost the economy and highlights local cultures.

If you think about it, the first tourism started with the idea of the Pilgrimage, originating in Eastern civilizations before spreading to Western. About 2,000 years ago, there were many pilgrimages to the early Buddhist sites, around what we currently know to be Nepal. Pilgrimages to Mecca were also a popular ritual that is still practiced to this day.

In the west, the custom of pilgrimage began to flourish from about 1660, and with the invention of different modes of transport, they followed a standard itinerary. This custom was seen as an educational opportunity and a rite of passage. This was reserved for the British nobility and wealthy landed gentry.

In the 18th century, after the invention of the railway, the Grand Tour became a popular tourist activity for upper-class students. The Grand Tour offered a journey to cultural sites in France, Germany, and Italy. Over the next few years, the tour encompassed many other European sites.

By the 19th century, journeys for health, leisure, and culture became widespread practice among the European middle classes and were ways for them to gain cultural capital. On these trips, people could socialize and show their social standing. During this time, tourists got used to using guidebooks and travel companies that created itineraries. Tourism also brought about the development of art and souvenir markets, as well as transport and accommodation systems, like hotels and lodging.

All that means is that this is when travel agents were invented. Even though booking yourself is much easier today, we highly recommend using a travel agent. Think of them as your travel partner. They get to know you and have all your likes and dislikes on file. We have used Prime Time in downtown Edmond for the last 25 years and would not think of leaving home without booking through them. Prime Time was once again voted Edmond’s Favorite travel agency in our annual and original Edmond Favorites poll. The truth is that they have saved my bacon on many of my travel experiences. For example:

I did try and get bold by booking myself into a hotel in Sienna, Italy, once. Staying inside the city wall sounded good to me. Once I got there, the place reminded me of a hotel you would find in East Germany around 1958. There was a drain in the floor of the room which I was curious about until I took a shower.

Turns out the water in the shower would not cut off and the drain in the shower did not drain. Water was pouring out the bathroom door and into the drain in the middle of the room. The maintenance guy could not even get it shut off. The nightmare of an experience ended with pulling on my clothes with soap still all over me and taking my bags down the street to escape by taxi. We even ripped my credit card information out of their book.

Overwhelmingly, booking through a travel agent has not only allowed me to avert disaster but it has given me literally hundreds of once in a lifetime moments and memories that bring me so much pleasure every time I think about them.

They have guides that the agent personally knows, and they depend on his repeat business, so you know they will do a fantastic job.

Travel agents have access to a variety of tools that the average consumer is not able to use or does not know about. They can sometimes get you a better seat on an airplane, added amenities at hotels, room upgrades, event tickets, and planning activities for you.

They are on the cutting edge of what is new. Travel agents are the first to know about a new re-sort, cruise ship or tour. They have relationships with their best travel partners who keep them informed as to the latest and greatest offerings they have. So, if you want to travel at the latest and greatest, agents are the way to go.

You should not think of it as a one time thing. A good agent is like a good mechanic. Once you find them, you will never want to give them up. Travel could be your biggest discretionary spend in any given year, along with your limited time, so you want to make sure it is done right. Besides, they serve as home base. Since so much can go wrong these days, having someone to call from your hometown for help is a comfort.

Edmond is full of great travel agents. The folks at Prime Time would be the first to tell you that and that you should find the one that fits you best. As you are making your travel plans for summer and fall, consider using one of our local travel agents instead of surfing the net. The Internet can make any hotel or location look great, but a travel agent has the resources to offer you the best place for you.

Good luck and happy travels this year.

(Ray Hibbard, publisher of Edmond Life & Leisure, may be reached at ray@edmondpaper.com)