Tourism Display

 I stopped in at the multi modal state to check to see if there was a tourism display there as I remembered and there is a display in the corner. Fairly small one though so I hope the city has plans to put a much larger rack in there when the station gets completed

Tourism Display

 I stopped in at the Civic Center/City Hall to pay water bills today and, whilst there looked around to see what was available for information on the city, especially things to do.  Just inside the east door, there is a double tiered rack attached to the wall with information on city services and flyers on local businesses and activities.  Good but not particularly noticeable.  

Tourism

 Caught on the news today that the state has doubled the amount it spends promoting tourism in Southern Illinois which is good.  How does Carbondale cash in on this? Despite what it might think or want, Carbondale is not a tourist town. People visit Carbondale for two main reasons:  SIUC or health care. Which is fine. There is nothing wrong with people coming to town for those two reasons. Their money is good and they spend it in hotels and restaurants.

What Carbondale Tourism should do, and since this advice is free take it for what it is worth, is position itself as the place to stay while taking advantage of the outdoor opportunities in Southern Illinois. it is easier to get to the Shawnee here than it is from Marion and it is also easier to get to the Southern Illinois Wine Trail(s) as well. Promote Carbondale as the place to stay while enjoying those, not as a tourist destination in itself. 

It is certainly possible to make Carbondale a tourist destination but it will take years and a concerted effort on the part of the city to make us a desirable place for tourists to visit.

Carbondale Tourism

The Carbondale Tourism office is shuttering June 30th, according to a post on its Facebook page. Since Carbondale's budget runs July 1 to June 30, I imagine tomorrow is when this year's funding runs out. Earlier this year, the city council voted to transfer tourism funding to Southernmost Illinois Tourism, which promotes tourism for most of southern Illinois, including the Shawnee National Forest. 

with a budget of $170,000, it was always rather difficult for Carbondale Tourism to make much of an impact drawing business and convention activity to the city. I estimate about a quarter to a third of the funding went for salaries and rent, not leaving much for promotional activities.

Cute Town

 Carbondale has been named one of the "8 cutest small towns in Illinois" according to the World Atlas, because of the number of parks, nature trails and lakes here. Really wish the city and Carbondale Tourism would make better use of them in its promotions. I have argued for positioning Carbondale as the entrance to Southern Illlinois Wine Country for years now but we get "All Ways Open" instead.

Carbondale Tourism

 Looks as if Carbondale Tourism will lose its funding as the city voted to change its official tourism office to Southernmost Tourism, which operates out of Anna, Illinois.

Looking at the website for Carbondale Tourism, there are no active events listed on the events calendar and the shopping section of the website has at least 4 businesses listed that have either shuttered or moved to Murphysboro. 

Tourism 2

 Following up on the last post, the Carbondale Tourism office has moved into the old Nest storefront, next to The Cellar. Not sure why they made the move now, since it involved shifting quite a bit of office material. the plan eventually is, when the multi-modal transport station opens, to move the tourism offices as well as Carbondale Main Street and the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce into offices on the north side of the building. Maybe the rent is cheaper in the new location? Since Carbondale Tourism is funded, last time I checked, by the hotel tax, COVIC may have hit its revenue stream pretty soundly, causing it to need a less expensive location. No evidence to back this up on my part but moving less than a block away does seem a bit odd.

Carbondale Tourism

 Carbondale Tourism has moved its offices out of the 126 S. Illinois location. I had noticed the offices were starting to look a bit sparse the past couple of months and now there is a large For Rent sign in the front window.  I remember discussion several years ago of shuttering that office and moving it into the City Hall complex so maybe that finally happened.

Cinnamon Wheeler-Smith

Cinnamon Wheeler-Smith, executive director of Carbondale Tourism for the past 5+ years, announced that Friday will be her last day. She has taken a position as Operational Triner at WPS Health Solutions

Abbey Ridge Brewery and Taproom

Abbey Ridge Brewery and Taproom opened recently on Cedar Lake Road, just east of Hwy 127.  Maybe if enough microbreweries open in the area, Carbondale Tourism could start promoting the Southern Illinois Beer Trail