Councilwoman Jane Adams has a lengthly post on Carbondale as a tourism destination. She makes a couple of important points:
1) Unlike Mt. Vernon and Marion, Carbondale is a destination community. People are drawn here primarily by the University and then by the hospitals. They spend nights here, rather than a night on the way to someplace else.
2) the annual $60,000 grant received as a result of being a certified tourist bureau should not be the "tail that wags the dog." The council and by implication, the community, should decide first the best way to deal with Carbondale's tourism situation, then seek the grant if that proves applicable. If the city signs with Southernmost Illinois or Illinois South, it needs to be because of the services the organization brings to the table, not because we would retain the grant money.
3) use of the internet and social medial I missed this when listening to their presentations at the last city council meeting but neither of the two aformentioned organizations discussed their internet or social media use, focusing instead on print media. In today's culture, not focusing on the Internet, is like ignoring four-color printing when it became available.
1) Unlike Mt. Vernon and Marion, Carbondale is a destination community. People are drawn here primarily by the University and then by the hospitals. They spend nights here, rather than a night on the way to someplace else.
2) the annual $60,000 grant received as a result of being a certified tourist bureau should not be the "tail that wags the dog." The council and by implication, the community, should decide first the best way to deal with Carbondale's tourism situation, then seek the grant if that proves applicable. If the city signs with Southernmost Illinois or Illinois South, it needs to be because of the services the organization brings to the table, not because we would retain the grant money.
3) use of the internet and social medial I missed this when listening to their presentations at the last city council meeting but neither of the two aformentioned organizations discussed their internet or social media use, focusing instead on print media. In today's culture, not focusing on the Internet, is like ignoring four-color printing when it became available.
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