Tourism Partners By John Dersham

There are a number of different organizations that help DeKalb Tourism promote tourism in our area. The state of Alabama Department of Travel and Tourism promotes us along with all 67 Alabama Counties, Southeast Tourism Society promotes us along with each of the other 11 states in its 12 state coverage area and then there is North Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association whom promotes tourism for all 16 north Alabama counties. DeKalb Tourism only promotes DeKalb County.  This allows us to get into greater detail about each attraction, lodging facility, museum, gift shop, antique store, festival, fair, retail and restaurant. We include all items of interest to a potential tourist in our travel guide, our website, mobile website, at trade shows, in public speaking engagements and in press releases and general advertising. As the size of the organization increases the fewer things about us are promoted since they have to include everyone else’s areas too. While our information center is the source for all things to do and see in DeKalb County the other organizations include highlights about us usually consisting of a calendar of events that includes our festivals, and major events at our public lands or major area attractions like our State Parks and our National Preserve. All of these organizations play a major role in getting the word out about us. This is because their advertising circle includes a larger geographic area. For example our ads target areas like Huntsville, Nashville, Birmingham, Atlanta and some coastal areas. The larger organizations like Southeast Tourism Society are delivering our messages across 12 states. Each one of these organizations reaches a new set of potential visitors to our area. In theory you would think it was duplication but that is not the case at all. Each of these organizations plays an instrumental role in delivering our message to a different group of potential customers. We are very fortunate here in DeKalb to have this network of promotion going on day in and day out 365 days a year all helping to tell the visitor who we are and where we are located and what we have to offer that would make us a fun and rewarding vacation.

 Tourism partners work closely together to improve the big picture. The big picture is helping all tourism organizations grow.  My many thanks to all of these outstanding organizations.