The Tourism Infrastructure: Easy Access

You know, I can think of lots of places that would probably be very popular tourist destinations if only they were easier to access. The top of Mount Everest, Antarctica, or even the moon would all make terrific vacation destinations and would surely attract plenty of visitors. If only it was easy to get there.

If a community wants to be a tourism destination, they’ve got to have fairly easy access. It’s got to be reasonably easy to navigate, and free of perils. In other words, a community that wants to attract tourist dollars must make it easy for the tourists to get there.

Remote destinations will always be popular with the super-adventurous and ultra-rich. There are some people that are willing to pay $200,000 for a spaceship ride or $50,000 to climb Everest. The truth is, however, municipalities are not adventure guides. It is their responsibility to foster a healthy local business community. Therefore, they would rather see a steady stream of visitors spending a reasonable amount of money in a number of local stores than to see a few big spenders give up obscene amounts to one tour operator.

The problem is, some domestic destinations seem as hard to get to as the Sea of Tranquility. It is important to announce to, and educate, and inform ALL potential visitors exactly where the tourist area is located and exactly how to get there. Directions should be made simple and it should NEVER be assumed that visitors have checked Mapquest or a GPS device. If you’re off the beaten path, good signage is super important.

Starting in the late 1930s, with the growing popularity of long-distance automobile travel, entrepreneurs began building restaurants, motels, coffee shops, and more unusual businesses to attract travelers. Soon, there were many similar businesses located close to one another competing for the same customer. So, they started advertising their stores and restaurants by placing signs and billboards on the thoroughfare. Sometimes, these business operators started informing travelers about the benefits of eating their food or buying their wares as far as 150 from the actual establishment. Eventually, some of the buildings were constructed in whimsical shapes and children’s attractions were added. The smart business owners took all of this information and announced it, out on the highway, and invited guests to stop, shop, dine, and stay the night. Who wouldn’t want to eat a bowl of world famous Split Pea Soup, see the World’s deepest well, explore the inside of a giant elephant-shaped building or spend the night in a genuine-looking tee-pee? All of this was done in order to beat the competition in a race to attract customers. With appropriate directional signage, it worked.

It still works today. The moment a visitor leaves the main road and heads toward a community, he should see adequate signage that will show him exactly how and where to find the things he needs. Restaurants, shops, gas, hotels and attractions must be easy to find for those who have never been in town before.

It is also important for signs to add to the Sense of Place recipe. They should be designed in such a way as to add to the overall theme of the community or tourist area.

In Roger Brooks and Maury Forman’s book, The 25 Immutable Rules of Successful Tourism, the authors point out “one of the biggest mistakes that communities make is not telling visitors why they should visit. [Signs] should focus on activities – things to do. After all, people go places to do things….In order to be effective, highway signs must be…eye-catching. There are four four keys to success: Use the right words, make it brief, keep the design simple, and keep the sign well maintained.”

What about the actual road in and out of town? It should be well maintained and attractive. It should be clean and give the potential customer the immediate perception that the community is safe.

(next: A Safe Community)