Avoid the "Geography of Nowhere"

Lisa Brochu, author and tourism consultant, and keynote speaker at the recent Heartland Byways Conference in Kansas, encouraged communities located along scenic byways to be distinct and present their innate character, writes Dale Hogg of the Grand Bend Tribune. When a visitor wakes up in the morning they should know where they are. As Lisa Brochu states, avoid the geography of nowhere.

The Annual Heartland Byways Conference is designed for byway, tourism officials from 10-state region, including: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Link to: America`s Byways
...
Roger Brooks' Rule No. 16
Great Stories Make the Campfire Memorable: the rule of telling stories.
Your community has stories to tell. They are distinct. They bring people together. They attract visitors.
 from "The 25 Immutable Rules of Successful Tourism"
Tip 2 from Roger Brooks.

Oklahoma agritourism could generate billions for rural towns.

Helde Brandes of OKC Biz reports that agritourism is a booming business in Oklahoma, with a projected $31 million economic impact for 2009. The article cites the American Quarter Horse Association show, held annually in Oklahoma City, as an example of the agritourism contribution to the agriculture industry. The article further states that wind energy and wind turbines could generate $34 billion for rural towns in Oklahoma, a future that "will require a new vision ...[with] evolving technologies and demands", according to State Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach.