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Q&A About Community Involvement
Community Relations
The key to obtaining community support is to dispel myths surrounding tourism and to measure success in small increments. Here are three frequently cited excuses for not considering tourism as an economic development strategy which you may encounter:
Community support is a necessary precondition for sustainable tourism development. The fundamental reasons for travel are to change place and pace and have a different experience. It is difficult for residents to understand why anyone would want to pay for an experience which they take for granted. Through education, it is possible for the local citizenry to realize their community's potential. Community pride results when residents see that tourists are attracted to their area. There are many communities which have a seasonal tourism industry. In such cases, tourism should be part of an integrated economic development strategy. Tourism, like any other industry, has its share of low- and high-paying jobs. It differs from other industries in the type of skills required. Because tourism employees often have direct customer contact, it is essential that they have the right skills. A machinist who produces a gear for a product has no control over how the finished product is presented. A tourism employee has the opportunity to meet the consumer and affect how that person views the product or service just purchased. Even the housekeeper in a hotel affects product quality by offering a smiling face and a cheery good morning when guests beginning their day. Community members need to understand that tourism is not a substitute for other industrial pursuits. A community built solely on tourism is no different than other one-industry towns. Community members need to understand that tourism is not a substitute
for other industrial pursuits. Though there are many communities
where tourism has become the dominant economic activity, this is
not the model all communities should follow. A community built solely
on tourism is no different than other one-industry towns. They are
equally vulnerable to the negative effects of economic shifts. The
best strategy is to proceed slowly, letting the tourism industry
build a base of support in the community. With proper attention
to community planning, tourism education, and a series of small
successes, it will be possible to fire up community residents toward
tourism.
Outsiders are often the best judges of your
community's tourist appeal.
Brian J. Hill
After the meetings have taken place, it may be useful to host tours of local attractions for residents. It is surprising how many people living near significant attractions fail to visit them or even consider them attractions. It may also prove worthwhile to take delegations to other communities that have grappled successfully with tourism development.
It is in the community's best interest to involve others. It is in the community's best interest to involve others. Keep in mind that the existing group may see you and others as tourism come-lately's, or even as opportunists. Your local Extension or Sea Grant agent may be able to facilitate this delicate and diplomatic process. He or she may want to meet with the leaders of the small group and other key community people to discuss topics of common interest. Your local Extension agent might also host a workshop to explore ideas and strategies for increased community involvement. The local newspaper or radio station might also be of help. It's important to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of the existing group and reward these leaders for their contributions. Mike Liffman
Tourism will be less damaging than most other economic expansions. The negative impacts can be avoided if local people plan for tourism.
Any development activity has positive and negative impacts on the community: the greater the development activity, the greater the impact will be. For example, rural areas and small towns have the right (and often the legal means) to decide on future land uses. If they are concerned about natural or historic sites being damaged or destroyed by tourism, the local people can inventory these assets and pass local legislation to protect them. Before investors begin tourism development, the local area should have done its homework and decided where and how it wants tourism expansion. Much of this effort focuses on what makes their community attractive to visitors, what is important for their way of life, and how these sites can be designed, built, and managed for visitors. Remember that there are three sectors of tourism development: governments (roads, parks, etc.); nonprofit organizations (historic sites, festivals, etc.); and commercial enterprises (lodging, food, etc.). It is important that area leaders representing these groups develop a tourism plan. This need not be costly but they will need assistance, possibly from an Extension specialist or a professional planner. In many areas, the Main Street program can be an excellent catalyst for such a plan. Clare Gunn, Professor Emeritus
I suggest to residents that no significant change will take place as a result of tourism development if efforts are made to assess potential and inevitable changes in terms of what would be acceptable to the community. This requires planners, administrators, and the larger community to focus on the conditions that will likely result or that are desired from their tourism development efforts, rather than focus solely on narrowly defined outcomes such as jobs created or traffic congestion. The broader focus on conditions is difficult to maintain because of the complex community interrelationships that must be considered, but this focus provides a more comprehensive assessment in which important community values and goals are not overlooked. Denver Hospodarsky People Resources
It is essential to get leaders in the retirement community interested and involved in tourism and its implications for the community. Tourists and tourism businesses pay various taxes. These partially fund local units of government that provide services such as police and fire protection, the public library, and medical facilities. The commission on aging or a senior center may also benefit from taxes generated by tourism. Without tourism, many of these services could be reduced or rely on increased millage rates which raise the property taxes paid by local residents. Tourism creates many part time jobs. Retirees seeking supplemental income can choose from many part-time employment opportunities. Tourists may even spend money at a local yard sale or fund raiser. Consider having a retiree representative on the local tourism council. This will increase communication and cooperation between the two groups. Phil Alexander  Senior citizens make wonderful and contributing members of countless local committees such as beautification, hospitality, outreach, and festival organization. The Louisiana Rural Tourism Development Task Force is trying to identify ways to convert today's tourists into tomorrow's residents. Several retirees have been named official state ambassadors and they are charged with promoting Louisiana to their peers at AARP (American Association of Retired People) and other senior citizens' functions such as meetings and reunions.
In many communities increased tourism has meant increased tax revenue to the community. Some retirees with large homes might be interested in starting a Bed and Breakfast as a supplemental source of income, which promotes the overall tourism program. Some retirees could provide formal hospitality training for the community. Those who are very familiar with the community would do a great job as a part of the community survey team. Retirees are an important segment of the community and should be included at the onset of any overall community efforts such as tourism planning. By doing so, you will gain their cooperation, and have a larger expertise and skill base for tourism development. Local taxes are a big concern to many retirees. Increased tourism often increases tax revenue to the community, which can help keep local taxes on an even level. Bob Espeseth
The involvement of volunteers is critical to the success of the Convention and Visitor Bureau. Volunteers on other committees also play major roles in CVBs. Their involvement is critical to the success of the CVB, and should not be viewed as taking over. Committees must set their own objectives, create their own work plans, and prepare budgets for their activities. These activities need to be guided, of course, by a mission statement and a strategic plan for the CVB. Volunteer committees need to be advised from the outset that their activities necessarily conform to the goals of the overall organization. However, these goals should be set by consultation among staff and volunteer members. Conflicts between staff and volunteers can arise from differences in their viewpoints. Staff tend to be more concerned with process and accountability. Volunteers tend to focus on projects and results. These perspectives are not necessarily in opposition, but they can lead to misunderstanding. To avoid potential problems, the general manager of a CVB needs to balance a concern for human relations, equity, and personnel matters with a recognition of the importance of long term goals, meeting members' expectations, and achieving measurable outcomes. A clear, written statement of the functions of staff and volunteers can be very helpful in resolving conflicts. Staff and the general manager need to realize that volunteers have a legitimate role to play in guiding the activities of a CVB. Both board and staff need to achieve agreement on the priority of goals. This can be done by having the general manager:
Volunteers must recognize that staff have to balance the substantial demands of their organization, including those of their general manager, the expectations of the members of the CVB, and the directions given to them by the board and various committees. Volunteers also need to realize that staff, too, are constrained by time limits and scarce resources. Stephen Smith
Volunteers get far more out of the CVB than they put into it. Second, there is something in it for the volunteer, too. Volunteers benefit themselves and their businesses in the long run. Those who don't volunteer, are trusting that their competitors, who are active as volunteers, will represent their interests for them. One doesn't have to be a model of altruism to become a volunteer. In fact, people volunteer in organizations such as CVBs because they get far more out of the CVB than they put into it. CVBs should be member driven. By being active on CVB committees and boards, members will be able to guide the strategic direction of their organization. CVBs can be very effective in promoting their members and communities, but they work only when their members invest time and effort as well as membership dollars. Stephen Smith
Many states have Good Samaritan legislation that provides immunity from liability for volunteers. Another area of concern is liability for the actions of volunteers. An employer is liable for the actions of his or her employee when the employee is acting within the scope of his or her employment. This concept can also apply to communities using volunteers, if the volunteers can be considered employees. Many states have legislation that provides immunity from liability for volunteers. These statutes are often called Good Samaritan Rules. Communities must also be concerned with their liability to a volunteer. When volunteer services are enlisted, the community can expose itself to liability for injuries sustained by those volunteers. To protect itself, the community should use care in training the volunteers, providing the proper equipment, and supervising their work. Sometimes a community may encounter a problem with using volunteers to accomplish work that unionized state or local employees have been hired to do. You must be familiar with the terms and conditions of the union contract and not violate that contract by pursuing use of volunteer workers too zealously. The best advice is to seek legal counsel when implementing a volunteer program. Establish the guidelines and rules in advance and you can make productive use of a valuable resource. Volunteers are essential to many communities, but you must use them carefully and wisely. Joe Holland
Hospitable front-line employees improve the image of the destination and promote repeat business. A more appropriate strategy might be to explain that the majority of emerging employment opportunities for the rest of this decade will be in service industries. While service jobs including bank tellers and checkout employees are likely to be replaced by cash machines and bar-code readers, personal, face-to-face jobs will be less of a target of technology and may be more stable in the long run. Although personal services are currently among the lowest paid service jobs, they are growing in most rural amenity-oriented communities. Pursuing a career in personal services may be a reasonable strategy for those who value rural living more than their income level. Thus, developing hospitality skills would be understood as a professionally motivated behavior, instead of kowtowing to tourists. Some people just do not have a personal disposition appropriate for being a successful front-line employee in the visitor industry. It is the responsibility of the tourism professional to hire and promote those people who exhibit, or can realistically develop, professional attitudes and demeanors. It is important to institute a hospitality training program for tourism industry employees. Videos are available which show how the behavior of tourism employees affects visitors' experiences. It is important they understand how hospitable front-line employees improve the image of the destination and promote repeat business. The positive word-of-mouth advertising and resulting increase in visits translates into business expansion, a demand for employees and, ultimately, higher wages. Another idea would be to have local tourism-related businesses provide all-expense-paid trips to other destinations for selected employees. Employees would critique the attitudes and demeanors of employees at these destinations. Trips could be subsidized by interindustry discounts and reciprocal employee training programs. Pat Corcoran Return to Main Document |
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Tourism Center
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Tourism Center · University
of Minnesota Extension · College of Food, Agricultural and Natural
Resource Sciences · University
of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus |
