NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

10/04/2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES- Natchitoches is already the envy of many communities and the area has the assets in place to grow as a tourist destination, participants in a tourism summit held at Northwestern State University were told Monday.

"You cannot be in the area and fail to see the impact of tourism," said lead speaker Dion Boyett, director of the Small Business Development Center at NSU. "There are special characteristics that draw people to each area of the state and there are many special things in Natchitoches."

Boyett pointed out that each dollar spent by a tourist in Natchitoches turns over about three times, creating a strong ripple effect in the economy.

One of the advantages this area has is the strong level of cooperation between local, state and federal partners including the City of Natchitoches, Northwestern, the Cane River Creole National Historic Park, the Cane River Heritage Area Commission, NSU Creole Heritage Center and the National Forest Service, Boyett said.

According to Courtney Hornsby, manager of the Natchitoches Main Street program, tourism plays a major role in providing city services.

"Each dollar generates 2.5 cents in sales taxes, which pays for street repairs, fire and police protection and other city services," she said.

Hornsby said tourism draws people to Natchitoches for events many may not consider tourism. Visitors who participate in fishing tournaments, softball tournaments or attend athletic events at NSU contribute to the local economy.

"When these people visit Natchitoches, they purchase meals at restaurants, stay in hotels and buy gas," said Hornsby.

Tourism will continue to play an even larger role for some communities, according to Carole Summers of HandMade in America.

Established in 1994, HandMade in America is based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. The organization works in partnership with more than 20 local, regional and state organizations to support the creation of traditional and contemporary crafts in the region, to protect natural resources and to promote community development.

"Tourism is a huge player in our area's economic future because the manufacturing jobs that left are not coming back," said Summer. "Crafts were a silent industry that no one was paying attention to."

Summers said the average cultural heritage traveler spends $164 a day while the average tourist spends $118 a day.

"Cultural heritage travel is really nothing new. People have traveled to see other cultures for hundreds of years," she said. "These are the kind of tourists we want. They also want hands on experiences and if there is an event, they will stay for several days."

A panel discussion was also held to discuss future plans developed by local agencies associated with tourism and ways to attract more visitors and inform local businesses about upcoming events. The participating groups also made plans to follow up on the summit with quarterly meetings.

Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu was scheduled to address a noon luncheon to wrap up the meeting, but was unable to attend due to bad weather which grounded his flight.

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