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Tourism
Matters
Serving the Tourism Industry of Michigan
 Fall
1999 |
Sally J.
Carpenter - editor
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There is no better time than right now to make a fresh appraisal of your downtown's tourist appeal and accessibility. Spend a few hours on the streets with this checklist and you will have a good idea of what can be done to increase tourist satisfaction and return over the coming years.
Start the inventory fifteen minutes away from your downtown on a route commonly traveled by tourist. About ten minutes before the tourist must decide to come into town answer items 1 and 2.
1. What signs are there indicating that you are approaching a commercial area? What sort of place do the signs suggest it will be? What good services or attractions do signs say will be available?
2. Can you find the downtown easily from this route using the existing directional signage rather than your own knowledge of the area.
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for all alternate visitor approaches to downtown.
3. Go to the local Chamber of Commerce or Visitors Center. What literature or displays are available with information about goods, services, tours and attractions in your downtown? How knowledgeable is the staff about what the downtown has to offer? How easy is it to locate downtown following directional signs and verbal instructions from the chamber or center?
4. Go to major attractions. Pick parks, monuments, ski areas, museums, race track, and inventory the items listed in Step 3.
5. Go to your local Michigan Department of Transportation visitor or welcome centers and inventory the items listed in Step 3.
6. Go to high-traffic area restaurants (including fast-food chains) and lodging properties to take inventory of the items in Step 3.
7. Drive through your downtown on the routes most commonly used by tourists. Look around carefully. Are signs and buildings well maintained? Are litter and weeds in evidence. What is the conditions of benches, waste containers, street lamps sidewalks and roads? Are there numerous vacancies in first-floor commercial space? Are areas of asphalt and cement broken up by greenery or color? Are there places to sit, stop and rest or chat? Does the area feel attractive? Why or why not?
8. Look at the types of stores, signs and merchandise displays visible from your car. Does it appear that a visitor could purchase: meals, snacks, ice, gas, aspirin, sun block, film, sporting goods, sweatshirts, stylish clothing, jewelry, books, art, local crafts, gifts, or souvenir items?
Can you see signs for attractions, such as museums, theaters, historic plaques, information booths, ticket sales for activities. Are there public restrooms or places of business (i.e. restaurants and convenience stores) that typically have public restrooms? Are parking places available or signs indicating where off-street parking is available?
9. Park the car and walk around. Are window displays attractive or interesting? Are items mentioned in Step 8 displayed? Are windows, displays and stores kept clean? How are strangers treated by local clerks? Are clerks knowledgeable about other businesses and attractions in the downtown. Are business directories and downtown tour maps displayed on counters?
10. Review the downtown literature available to visitors. Is your directory broken down into usable categories (food, auto, attractions, shops)? Is the map easy to read, with major landmarks noted to orient the visitor? Do you have historic tour brochures? Are they interesting to look at, easy to follow? Are they supported by markers on the buildings?
11. How well is the downtown represented in area promotional and hospitality pieces. Is there copy or photos about downtown attractions in area visitor literature? Does the downtown have an ad, noting its attractions, services for visitors? Are downtown merchant advertisements grouped together or do their ads indicated downtown location? Is downtown a participant in, or represented at area events that draw tourists? Is information about downtown available at these events, or does downtown host a component of each event? How well are downtown events marketed to area tourist? How good of a partner is your downtown in area tourism marketing?
12. Other notable observations
Once you have completed your checklist, make a list of projects that will help improve tourism in your downtown. Separate the projects into low-cost quick fixes that you can accomplish over the next few months (clean-ups, literature distribution); and long-term projects that your program can work toward over the next three years. Each step you take will bring you closer to maximizing your downtown tourism potential.
This information has been printed in paragraph form for space considerations in this newsletter. If you would like a free inventory check sheet to use please phone, fax or e-mail me at (fax) 616/467-5642 or e-mail: carpents@msue.msu.edu.
The above information was adapted from Arkansas Extension Service materials.Michigan Fall/Winter Calendar of Events and Travel Guide if at all like the summer version, is an invaluable tool to keep front line staff informed as to what is going on in your area. Use it in your staff meetings to keep people informed and to keep promoting Michigan happenings. And to be alert to possible tag on activities of your own.
Innkeeper Register
My visit to Stafford’s Bay View Inn, Petoskey in mid-winter of ‘99 was a
delightful experience. The well trained staff gets an A+ in hospitality. Sleigh rides
through the historic cottage colony and outstanding food make this a facility we could all
learn from.
After a day of Lake Michigan boating I visited the community of Douglas. The village offers intriguing little shops, a coffee house and sidewalk café. By 5:04 on a sunny Sunday evening nearly every place of business in the downtown area was closed. Saugatuck, it’s big sister however, had 60% of the stores and most eating establishments open and swamped. Moral to this story, be open when the tourists and day trippers want to shop and eat.
Quality Service Training for owners, managers and front-line, October 4, Courts Building, Centreville. 9 a.m. to noon. Presenter, Bill Shepler, Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry Service. For reservation form call Linda Towles at (616) 467-5522 or fax (616) 467-5641. Registration deadline is September 7.
1999 Tourism Conference October 17-18 in Dearborn at the Hyatt Regency. Opening Reception: Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village October 17, Workshop, keynote speakers and featured sessions: Hyatt Regency Dearborn, October 18, Registration $100 prior to September 17., Rooms: $115 for single or double per night, plus taxes. Room Reservations: 517/593-1234. For registration form, call Travel Michigan at 517/373-0670.
February 1, 2000 is the deadline date to update the Travel Michigan database. View your current entries on the travel planner at www.michigan.org, note corrections and fax changes or call 902/432-3672
Secret Routes Can Be Explored In The Heart of Lenawee County
By Ann Hinsdale-Knisel
County Extension Director, Lenawee County
The underground railroad – an organization of individuals and groups fighting slavery – had its most organized network in Lenawee County in southeastern Michigan. Through a joint effort of the Underground Railroad Institute of Lenawee County, MSU Extension, Adrian College and other cooperating institutions, tourists can enter safehouses used to hide enslaved individuals escaping from the south and learn about the most fascinating aspects of U.S. history.
While there were always individuals in the north and south who spoke out against slavery, the underground railroad was developed as both an organized and amorphous network of escape routes to freedom. It wasn’t a railroad, nor was it underground, but the name was coined due to the way in which those seeking freedom would vanish quickly, never to be found again and the railroad (not cars) was the quickest mode of transportation known in those days. Terminology from the railroad industry were used as code words to communicate about the secret routes. A "station" was a safe hiding place on the route, those assisting were known as "conductors", etc.
Individuals of all backgrounds, races and religions made the escape routes possible. The goal was to escape safely to the north to Canada or south to Mexico, the Caribbean or with Indian tribes. There were organized escape routes throughout the state of Michigan.
In Lenawee County, thanks to the efforts of the Quakers, Aunt Laura Haviland, freed Blacks, and literally hundreds of other individuals, people were hidden in homes, barns, hidden in rooms, underground hideaways or successfully moved to safer areas in Michigan or over to Canada. It is estimated that over 80,000 escaping slaves fled to freedom in Canada via Michigan alone. The system of slavery was dismantled due to the courageous efforts of those risking life and property to ensure freedom for all human beings.
Several of the sites used are still standing in Lenawee County. Tours are available as well as lectures and programs to assist individuals in understanding this part of American history as well as to understand how to apply the lessons of the Underground Railroad to our life today. For more information, contact Lenawee County MSUE at 517/264-5300 or fax number: 517/264-5317.
Legacy Tours follows the history of Atlanta's African-American history and black achievement from the Civil War to present day which includes Martin Luther King venues. Call for brochures get inspiration in defining your area cultural heritage (770)947-2179.The Tree-Mendus Fruit farm news letter not only promotes their activities but those of the surrounding area. Tree-Mendus gives discounts for valid receipts from neighbors. Lets hear it for cooperation. Call them at (616) 782-7101 e-mail www.tree.mendus.com
West Michigan Tourist Association sends a fax titled Nobody Knows West Michigan Like We Do! Diana Stampfler, Director of Media, tells me that this publication lists activities going on in 42 counties. It is faxed or E-mailed monthly. Half way into the month it is updated and past date items removed then sent out again. Press releases are often attached to its calendar.
The publication is sent to 225 media contacts. You must be a direct member to send in events for the publication. One side benefit, the publication is often posted for media contact employees to make personal tourism decisions.
Expand your thinking on this practice. How could you utilize this method in your business.
Diana says she reads Tourism Matters, and uses our calendar to get dates for her publication. See how we can all work together to make each other better.
Speaking of working together. If you have dates for tourism business related educational or informational meetings, seminar, conferences etc. Please fax, mail or e-mail to me. Next Deadline for publication of Tourism.Matters newsletter is Friday October 1.
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| Tourism Area of Expertise Team Michigan State University 172 Natural Resources Bldg. East Lansing, MI 48824-1222 Phone: 517-353-0793 Fax: 517-432-2296 |