Tourism Development Resources

Expert staff have created materials, workshops, consultations, and community tourism assessments. Tourism Center staff also facilitate strategic planning seminars for a variety of community and industry groups. Examples of topics include goal setting, vision/mission development, organizational development, and plan of work prioritizing. Contact the Tourism Center for more information on specific education, assessment, and facilitation services. Traditional industries are finding ways to incorporate tourism to increase markets. Agri-tourism, for example, has many dimensions, including farm stays, direct sales to tourists and tours of production facilities. The Tourism Center offers excellent resources for helping community leaders and educators understand agri-tourism as well as other aspects of rural tourism. The Tourism Center has developed a resource page for sustainable tourism that has a variety of resources for businesses, communities, and events.

Texts

Community Tourism Development Guide

This 250+ page manual provides a development process and materials to help communities plan, initiate, and expand tourism as a means of long-term economic development. The development concepts are applicable to communities of all sizes and at various stages of tourism development. Community Tourism Development provides a clear, concise understanding of topics such as community readiness, planning and organization, assessing potential, market research, marketing a community, and funding tourism efforts. Community case studies illustrate many challenges and successes with tourism development. Extensive worksheets, models, and forms are provided to help communities put the concepts and information to work.

Community Tourism Development applies theory to real-life situations to deliver the basics of planning, development, and management of tourism destinations from a community standpoint. To see a sample chapter from the manual click here.

To order:
Now available on Amazon.com or directly from the Tourism Center. (Please call 612-624-4947 or email tourism@umn.edu.) Price: $59 (+ S &H)

In the Eyes of the Law: Legal Issues Associated With Direct Farm Marketing

Many agricultural producers increase the value of their products by processing, shipping, packaging, and selling them directly to consumers. In addition, producers are inviting the public onto their property to participate in activities such as farm tours, farm stays, festivals, floriculture, and fee-based recreation. For producers considering direct marketing, this publication provides an introduction to legal issues that may affect their business. Written by two lawyers with commercial and agritourism law experience, the information is intended to help direct marketers avoid or minimize risk and liability. It is not intended to constitute legal advice or to address every situation. Case studies inserted throughout the text help explain legal principles. Use this publication as a discussion tool as you seek specific advice from an attorney or an accountant familiar with your goals and business plan. In the Eyes of the Law order directly from the Tourism Center.
(Please call 612-624-4947 or email tourism@umn.edu.) Price: $10 (+ S&H)

Q&A About Rural Tourism Development

Q&A About Rural Tourism Development (1993). 128 pages. Tourism experts answer common questions about rural tourism development, based on issues raised by rural community leaders at the national teleconference Turn It Around With Tourism. Price: Q&A About Rural Tourism Development is available free online.

DVD's

Rural Tourism Development Case Studies

Rural Tourism Development Case Studies (1991). Video 52 minutes. Rural tourism development success stories from Dahlonega, GA; Villages of Van Buren, IA; San Luis, CO; and Sandpoint, ID. This video is companion piece to the Tourism Development manual. Three of the communities profiled in the video were revisited and their stories updated in the manual case studies.

To order, contact the Tourism Center. Price: $15 (+ S &H)

Consultation & facilitation

For more information on Tourism Development, please contact Cynthia Messer (cmesser@umn.edu) at (612) 624-6236 or Kent Gustafson (kgustaf@umn.edu) at (612) 625-8274.

Order Materials

To order any of these educational materials, please call (612) 624-4947 or email tourism@umn.edu.