Tourism Matters - Stephanie Movre


Thursday, August 21, 2008
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Tourism is a science and a business to attract visitors
Stephanie Movre
Tourism Director
Tourism Matters

Tourism helps a community become more attractive and prosperous - more attractive, because a community must be appealing to draw and satisfy visitors; more prosperous, because these visitors spend money.

Visitors who enjoy and appreciate our community are likely to spend more money, come back again (perhaps often), and recommend it to their friends. As a tourist center becomes more popular, word spreads fast to create a reputation as an attractive, hospitable, and satisfying place to visit or spend a vacation which is a phenomenon we have experienced at the Tourism Bureau firsthand. When we poll visitors on how they heard about us, nine out of 10 times it was through a friend.

Tourism is the science and business of attracting visitors, accommodating and serving them. Like any business or industry, it needs the moral and financial support of the entire community. Although certain businesses receive the bulk of the tourist dollars — e.g. motels, hotels, resorts, restaurants, gift shops, retail stores, tourist attractions, gasoline stations and transportation companies — secondary businesses also benefit.

This latter group includes construction firms, laundries, food and other types of wholesalers and suppliers, public utilities, entertainment places and local services - barbers, hairdressers, printers, photographers, even doctors and dentists. Thus, everyone in the community eventually benefits financially, either directly or indirectly.

According to recent estimates, two travelers in Mississippi spend about $50 to $60 per day on lodging, meals, recreation, sightseeing, and shopping. By attracting 100 additional visitors per day for a year, an established tourist area would gain about 100 new, part- or full-time jobs, $960,000 in personal income, $192,000 in bank deposits, and tax money to pay for the education of 42 children for one year.

The Holly Springs Tourism Bureau is proud of the leaps and bounds made by both the city of Holly Springs and its residents.

We are also proud sponsors of local events such as the fast approaching Hummingbird Migration Celebration, the Vietnam Memorial Wall Replica, the Kudzu Festival, the Christmas Home Tour as well as the recently completed Ida B. Wells-Barnett Festival and Commemorative Banquet, North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic and Pilgrimage of Homes.

Tourism Traffic report

We are excited to open our doors once again to the many nature enthusiasts set to gather at this year’s Hummingbird Migration Celebration at Strawberry Plains Audubon Center. Last year over 8,000 came out for the event and we hope for over 10,000 this year! The Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Bureau will be sharing a booth, distributing materials about Holly Springs to visitors. We encourage businesses to offer visitors any specials or extend their regular business hours to attract visitors to town, and we will be happy to pass on the information. Please visit us at www.visithollysprings.org or give us a call at 662-252-2515 for more information.
Here at the tourism office we have welcomed 2,058 guests so far this year and have six upcoming group tours!

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