Tourism as the Front Door

National Tourism Week is less than a month away, and the theme of this year's event is "America's Front Door." In keeping with Roger Dow's message that tourism is vital to the image of the United States around the world, the theme also suggests its impact as a leading industry for economic growth.

In Wyoming, they're taking that concept a step further. I'm just back from that state's Governor's Hospitality & Tourism Conference...and I'm jazzed with the palpable buzz I felt from the over 350 attendees.

Part of that buzz is the launch of the "Wyoming Project Front Door," a Master Planning process designed to identify the state's strengths and identify future opportunities.

As the flyer announcing the program proclaimed: Tourism is the Front Door to Non-Tourism Economic Development.

Well spoken...as Tourism is so much more than image building and economic impact. It's often the first taste a CEO, owner or site selector has of a community, as they search where to locate their next enterprise.