BUILDING THE DOWNTOWN ECONOMY

PROJECT: BUILD TOWARD REGIONAL TOURISM

Goal

Promote regional tourism by connecting with nearby towns or surrounding counties to create a stronger gravitational pull for tourists and a larger “sense of place,” with appealing, well-marked paths to good eating, interesting shopping and more specific attractions (agritourism, outdoor recreation, etc.).

Description

Because downtown Frankfort does not have the density of attractions to pull in people from other areas year-round, its best bet in the short term is getting tourists to discover the entire region. Multiple small communities - properly packaged and marketed - have more to offer than one. Coordinated local, or better yet, regional attractions can frame retail, dining, and tourist attractions thus encouraging longer stays, increased spending, greater trip satisfaction, word-of-mouth advertising and more visitors.

Action Steps

1. Inventory the existing tourism market in Clinton County and the surrounding counties including assets, resources, amenities and businesses. Associated data can come from many sources, including focus groups, individual interviews, and publicly available economic data.

a. Map the attractions. SDG prepared a basic template map that could be the starting point of this attraction inventory. Check the Appendix for directions.

b. Visitor Profile: including party composition, trip purpose, length of stay, demographic details, and lifestyle segment.

c. Opportunity Identification: assess purchasing preferences of tourists compared to existing businesses. Determine new expansion opportunities.

2. Approach possible partner towns or counties.

a. Form a regional group to build a regional tourism plan. Members could include convention and visitor bureau reps, chamber of commerce representatives and other volunteers, state or local stakeholders. b. Based on existing tourism market analysis completed in step 1, create different self-paced tours. Create themed options (natural beauty, organic farming, history, outdoor recreation, art, architecture, etc.).

3. Consider the unrealized tourism opportunities available to existing businesses: a. Are local businesses effectively reaching the visitor market? b. Do local businesses compliment area attractions? c. Are tourists looking for products that are not offered locally? d. Do opportunities exist for businesses to cross-sell or work more cooperatively? e. Are retailers doing all they can to promote return visits? a. Cooperate; don’t compete. b. Retailers should work together to form a unified theme for shoppers: Brand regional identity (Tag line, imagery, etc.) c. Establish coordinated signage, facilities and services to increase perceptions of experiential quality. d. Educate the community about regional tourism efforts. e. Set up regional networking events to facilitate collaboration between businesses. f. Encourage local entrepreneurship in key areas: Retail (outdoor supply shops, etc.), services (hiking and fishing guides, regional transportation, etc.), and restaurants (highlight local fare and unique dishes.)

4. Align the efforts of seemingly competing entities. As a broad spectrum of businesses clamor to capture limited customer expenditures, they also serve as the foundation of the tourist experience.