Georgia Tech’s Tourism and Regional Assistance Centers (TRACS) has selected its initial “best practices in tourism,” an effort designed to help the local and national tourism industry adopt successful approaches in the areas of research, funding, professional development, information dissemination, advocacy, and Web marketing.
TRACS will publish these case studies as a guide for tourism-related agencies, industries, and organizations. The funding for this project was provided by a grant for planning purposes from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Atlanta Regional Office.
TRACS staff chose the following from many excellent nominations submitted through tourism organizations worldwide:
* Research
-- Finger Lakes (N.Y.)
Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association
-- Michigan State University Travel, Tourism, and
Recreation Resource Center
-- Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau
-- San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau
* Funding
-- San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau
-- California Division of Tourism
-- Visit Florida
* Professional
Development
-- International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau
* Information
Dissemination
-- Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Institute of
Tourism and Leisure Studies (Austria)
* Advocacy
-- Lee Island Coast (Fla.) Visitor and Convention Bureau
-- Oregon Tourism Commission
-- Greater Lansing (Mich.) Convention and Visitors Bureau
* Web Marketing
-- Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau
-- Nashville (Tenn.) Convention and Visitors Bureau
-- Travel Montana
-- Overland Park (Kan.) Convention and Visitors Bureau
TRACS will retain nominations not selected and hold them over for consideration next year along with new nominations.
The first edition of TRACS’ best-practices guidebook is scheduled to appear this fall. The publication, comprising successful case studies or models, will bridge gaps in information and improve methods in the expanding worldwide tourism industry.
Although a new unit in Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Institute, TRACS is based on four decades of research and implementation assistance. TRACS’ primary goal is to provide innovative economic development assistance focused on tourism. TRACS also acts as an advocate for economic developers focusing on tourism, promoting the tourism industry, providing credible and reliable tourism data, and demonstrating the need for increased tourism funding at the state level. TRACS’ products and services include customer segmentation and targeting; market profiling; market feasibility analyses; economic feasibility and impact analyses; planning and development studies; comprehensive assessments; and other customized projects.
For more information, contact Dr. Rich Harrill, Senior Business Associate; Economic Development Institute, Tourism and Regional Assistance Centers (TRACS); 207 O’Keefe Building, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332-0640; Telephone: 404.894.3852; Fax: 404.894.0069; Email: rich.harrill@edi.gatech.edu