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Open spaces seen as good for tourism- Isolation is good
A national travel expert says he believes Wyoming’s tourism industry will weather uncertain times because the state is so isolated and is perceived as a safe destination.
"Isolation is good for people who are afraid of the current political situation," Peter Tarlow, president of the Texas Chapter of the Travel and Tourism Research Association, said Monday.
Tarlow is a sociologist specializing in tourism and economic development and the effect of crime and terrorism on the tourism industry. He spoke at the annual Governor’s Hospitality and Tourism Rendezvous.
"People who are afraid to fly because of the war in Iraq or because of 9-11 will drive," he said. "It’s hard to get to Wyoming and that is advantageous because it makes Wyoming a Shangri-La. People can come here and slow down."
In a workshop on how to find and market a niche, Tarlow said a key to promoting tourism is to welcome visitors with trained people. "You cannot mess up on service. Give visitors time to smell the flowers, and tell them where they can find the flowers," he said.
While most people consider hours of driving to be a disadvantage in marketing the state, Tarlow said many people will enjoy the drive if they know what to see and where to stop.
He said Rachel, Nev., has become a destination area by marketing "nothing." Because people from urban areas have a hard time envisioning that, he said, the town has succeeded as ‘The Capitol of Nothing."
"Since most urban dwellers have never seen the stars above, you can invite people to come here and look at the Milky Way," he said. "What is normal to you could be fantastically interesting to someone else."
Tarlow said the fastest growing group of travelers is grandparents who travel with grandchildren.
"The parents of these children are very busy just making a living and the parents of these kids want to be remembered, so they spoil the grandkids," he said.
"We are not in the ‘fun’ business, we are actually selling memories. We’re selling something these people can replay time and time again."
For this demographic, he said, safety is a key consideration.
Tarlow said other fast-growing segments of the national tourism industry include the single-father market and women who travel alone or with girlfriends to take time off from their children and husband.
"Unfortunately the United States has a huge divorce rate, and there is a shift now from the mom always getting custody of the kids. In fact, in Texas during the past year, more men were granted custody of their children than women," Tarlow said.
"What do you offer to these markets?" he asked rhetorically.
According to a 2001 study, tourism is Wyoming’s No. 2 industry, providing $1.82 billion in direct expenditures to the state’s economy and employing 32,300 people.
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