jf501
06-05-2002, 07:02 AM
Reading the paper this morning I came across this article. Has the State givin up on us? Not one mention of Eureka Springs! If you read through the article you will see numbers like; 3.2 million visitors to NW Arkansas, 67% occupancies in lodging, New attractions, $4 billion dollars annually, BRANSON, Buffalo river, but not one thing about Eureka Springs, WHY? Can we only get exposure from paid advertising? Don’t we have any friends?
Anyone know why? these are just questions.
Is this the twilight zone?
State Hopes To Attract More Tourists This Summer
Tuesday, June 4, 2002
By Anita Creech
The Morning News/NWAonline.net
With more Americans opting to stay closer to home this summer because of recent events, state officials are hoping that means more tourist dollars for Arkansas.
The Department of Parks and Tourism is doing what it can to bolster that optimism.
"As you can imagine, we are paying close attention to the research," said Joe David Rice of the Department of Parks and Tourism in Little Rock. "We're trying to encourage people to (visit Arkansas), reminding them of everything we have here and some new products."
Rice said the state wants to take advantage of people reluctant to travel by air, while at the same time avoid looking "crassly commercial and insensitive."
"We just want to promote family values and getting away from a frantic, hurried lifestyle," he said.
An estimated 20 million people are expected to visit Arkansas this year, two-thirds of those during the summer, according to Rice. That figure is down 1 percent over last year, although his department is hoping it will end up higher.
"We're proverbial optimists. We're expecting things to pick up," he said.
Last year, 3.2 million tourists visited Northwest Arkansas and spent $546 million, according to Rice. This year, his department is promoting such attractions as the Buffalo River and the old U.S. 71 highway, newly designated as a scenic byway.
Dale Christy, who publishes the Northwest Arkansas Tourism Guide, said requests for the publication are up 23 percent over last year.
"We've had 13,057 requests through May, compared to 10,638 for the same time period last year," he said.
The tourism guide outlines attractions in Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties.
In Sebastian County, the city of Fort Smith also is looking forward to an increase in tourism.
"We're anticipating a 5 percent increase across the board, and we've been seeing that at this stage of the game," said Claude Legris, executive director of the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Hotel occupancy in Fort Smith is running at 59.6 percent, which is about a half-percent higher than the national average, Legris said. The city had an even better month in April, with hotel occupancy at 67.7 percent.
There also was a 30 percent increase in the number of tour buses that stopped at the tourist center in Fort Smith last year, Legris said.
"At this point, it appears to be holding very solid for us," he said.
More than 1 million people visited Sebastian County last year, spending around $230 million in the process.
The state Department of Parks and Tourism is using Arkansas' slogan of The Natural State to attract visitors but is also plugging its cultural attractions, Rice said.
"We try to tell them about such things as James at the Mill (restaurant in Johnson) and the Walton Arts Center (in Fayetteville. They can come up and enjoy nature, but they don't have to camp out. That's one of our big challenges: to retain the natural attractions but to show that we have other amenities," Rice said.
Today's travelers are "very savvy," he noted, and often demand more than just a place to park a recreational vehicle.
The Ozarks, Ouachitas and Central Arkansas are the top three areas of the state for visitors, Rice said. One of the challenges for Arkansas is to open some new attractions, similar to Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock in Branson, Mo., he said.
"In Arkansas, we need some equally fine locations where people aren't hesitant to spend big dollars," Rice said.
Tourism statewide brings in close to $4 billion annually, according to the Department of Parks and Tourism.
[This message has been edited by jf501 (edited 06-05-2002).]
Anyone know why? these are just questions.
Is this the twilight zone?
State Hopes To Attract More Tourists This Summer
Tuesday, June 4, 2002
By Anita Creech
The Morning News/NWAonline.net
With more Americans opting to stay closer to home this summer because of recent events, state officials are hoping that means more tourist dollars for Arkansas.
The Department of Parks and Tourism is doing what it can to bolster that optimism.
"As you can imagine, we are paying close attention to the research," said Joe David Rice of the Department of Parks and Tourism in Little Rock. "We're trying to encourage people to (visit Arkansas), reminding them of everything we have here and some new products."
Rice said the state wants to take advantage of people reluctant to travel by air, while at the same time avoid looking "crassly commercial and insensitive."
"We just want to promote family values and getting away from a frantic, hurried lifestyle," he said.
An estimated 20 million people are expected to visit Arkansas this year, two-thirds of those during the summer, according to Rice. That figure is down 1 percent over last year, although his department is hoping it will end up higher.
"We're proverbial optimists. We're expecting things to pick up," he said.
Last year, 3.2 million tourists visited Northwest Arkansas and spent $546 million, according to Rice. This year, his department is promoting such attractions as the Buffalo River and the old U.S. 71 highway, newly designated as a scenic byway.
Dale Christy, who publishes the Northwest Arkansas Tourism Guide, said requests for the publication are up 23 percent over last year.
"We've had 13,057 requests through May, compared to 10,638 for the same time period last year," he said.
The tourism guide outlines attractions in Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties.
In Sebastian County, the city of Fort Smith also is looking forward to an increase in tourism.
"We're anticipating a 5 percent increase across the board, and we've been seeing that at this stage of the game," said Claude Legris, executive director of the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Hotel occupancy in Fort Smith is running at 59.6 percent, which is about a half-percent higher than the national average, Legris said. The city had an even better month in April, with hotel occupancy at 67.7 percent.
There also was a 30 percent increase in the number of tour buses that stopped at the tourist center in Fort Smith last year, Legris said.
"At this point, it appears to be holding very solid for us," he said.
More than 1 million people visited Sebastian County last year, spending around $230 million in the process.
The state Department of Parks and Tourism is using Arkansas' slogan of The Natural State to attract visitors but is also plugging its cultural attractions, Rice said.
"We try to tell them about such things as James at the Mill (restaurant in Johnson) and the Walton Arts Center (in Fayetteville. They can come up and enjoy nature, but they don't have to camp out. That's one of our big challenges: to retain the natural attractions but to show that we have other amenities," Rice said.
Today's travelers are "very savvy," he noted, and often demand more than just a place to park a recreational vehicle.
The Ozarks, Ouachitas and Central Arkansas are the top three areas of the state for visitors, Rice said. One of the challenges for Arkansas is to open some new attractions, similar to Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock in Branson, Mo., he said.
"In Arkansas, we need some equally fine locations where people aren't hesitant to spend big dollars," Rice said.
Tourism statewide brings in close to $4 billion annually, according to the Department of Parks and Tourism.
[This message has been edited by jf501 (edited 06-05-2002).]