Local tourism attractions to be on National Geographic website

   There is really no such thing as an “accidental tourist.” A family may not plan for the future and may not stick to a plan for the household budget, but they will plan, plan, plan for that annual vacation. With that in mind, several organizations have created a “planning tool” for those vacationers who are considering a visit to this area.

   The “Mississippi River Connections Collaborative” involves the private Big River Strategic Initiative (BRSI) and the seven-state Delta Regional Authority (DRA) spearheading efforts to construct a Mississippi River tourism website to be included in the National Geographic Geotourism Program.

   Those two organizations are working with state and local government and tourism agencies from Minnesota to the Gulf to highlight points of interest, historical sites, entertainment venues, community festivals, and “anything that makes you special,” Big River spokesperson Terry Eastin said.

     Eastin and Spencer Lucker of the DRA, spoke on Aug. 2 to a group representing various tourism-related interests in the parish.

    Eastin will also speak at the Avoyelles Commission on Tourism’s “Lunch & Learn” meeting at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 13 at the LSU AgCenter in Mansura.

 

    Eastin said this was her first trip to Marksville, but she  has wanted to visit because she has family roots here.

    “My father, Allen Edwards, left Marksville when he was 17 to join the Marines and see the world,” she said. “His brothers stayed here, went to school and became lawyers and such.”

    Her grandparents were Clarence “Beau Boy” Edwards and Agnes Edwards. Her uncle is former Gov. Edwin Edwards.

    Lucker noted that Delta Regional Authority is a federal-state partnership dedicated to economic development in the Mississippi Delta.

   While DRA has focused on infrastructure improvements and enticing business and industry to locate in the states bordering the Mississippi River, it realized a few years ago that a major source of economic development was already present in those states. It only had to be marketed.

   “We may not be able to attract a major manufacturer to this area, but we can promote local tourism,” Lucker said.

   Eastin said her organization reached out to DRA and others to form the Mississippi River Connection Collaborative.

 

   “This area is part of the cradle of the history of the United States,” Eastin said. “There has been a general lack of appreciation for the Mississippi River in other parts of the country, but that is not the case worldwide.”

   She recalled an experience of a business friend of hers who met with Chinese businessmen. He invited them to come to America. Instead of asking to tour New York City, Disney World or the West Coast, the Chinese said they wanted to visit along the Mississippi River. 

   They had read about it and they wanted to see it for themselves. To them, the big river represented more of the “real America.”

   That is important to foreign visitors, she said. They want a true American experience for their tourism dollar.

   “Geotourists shop in local stores and want to it in local restaurants that serve authentic regional cuisine,” Eastin said.

   The Mississippi River Delta site will be similar to the Gulf States geotourism site. Avoyelles Commission of Tourism Director Wilbert Carmouche said six Avoyelles Parish sites approved for that site will automatically be included in the Delta site.

 

    “We want distinctive attractions that will capture the unique character and beauty of the Mississippi River communities,” Eastin said.

   Eastin said people should have a wide-open mind when considering what counts as a tourist attraction.

  “If your community is known for its fishing, then promote that,” she said. “If you own a bait stand that caters to fishermen, then you are part of the tourism industry and can be included on this site.”

  The website can include obvious tourism attractions, such as Paragon Casino in Marksville. It can include historical sites, which are numerous throughout this parish but include the 2,000-year-old mounds at the state Prehistoric Indian Park and Museum. It can include unusual attractions, such as the WesMar goat farm in Moreauville. 

   Entries can be festivals, of which the parish has several throughout the year. In addition, the site will include businesses that serve tourists -- hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants, hunting/fishing suppliers and guides, etc.

   Those wishing to submit an entry for the website can visit mississippiriver.natgeotourism.com, click on nomination and follow the prompts in filling out the application form. The process includes helps on how to fill out the information, including what information is needed.

    “At the end of this process, those included on the site will receive a certificate and window decal identifying them as a National Geographic-certified site,” Eastin said.

 

   While Mississippi River Connections Collaborative wants as many sites as possible signed up by Sept. 1, Eastin said it is an ongoing process and additional tourist attractions and businesses can be included at any time.

   She said it is important that someone be sure to keep information on local attractions updated to ensure the correct phone numbers, addresses, hours of operation and description.

   Eastin said the goal is to “inspire travelers to come, taste and feel what we have to offer here.”