Life Beyond Tourism

For those that still ponder the value of tourism, I would like to illuminate the concept of the Life Beyond Tourism Manifesto, an organization that promotes tourism worldwide for more than the obvious monetary benefits.

The eight points in the manifesto assert that tourism is a crucial source of prosperity, but also that it is an opportunity for cultural dialogue and the celebration of diversity, a “workshop of knowledge”, and that environmental management helps to preserve this knowledge and dialogue for the future. In other words, the focus of tourism is on the triple bottom line – or – people, planet and profit.

For tourism to truly be successful in a community it needs to be based on values, not just consumer services. We all have heard the horror stories of a tourist location becoming so popular it prices the local residents right out of their homes.  If we look beyond the initial profits and plan properly, it can bring about benefits that can last for generations.

Some of the key points are:

·         Tourism is a crucial source of prosperity.  No question here. Currently, it can mean life or death to our small towns on the Palouse. Tourism is the fastest growing industry since the economy tanked and we can all benefit from it.

·         Tourism provides an opportunity for getting to know -- spirit of place.  And yes, we do have a “spirit of place”. Pullman’s cultural diversity gives it a flavor of its own and the traditional farming history on the Palouse can provide knowledge to a public that still may not know where their food comes from.

·         People working in the tourism industry foster awareness of spirit of place and of intercultural dialogue. I can’t stress enough the personal touch workers have in this industry. If you don’t value where you live and work, how can you pass on that value to our visitors? Tourism can foster community pride and development among its residents.

·         The tourist is a potential harbinger of knowledge and of intercultural dialogue. We can learn from our visitors. And today’s visitor may become tomorrow’s business owner, bringing with them their cultural history.

·         The tourism destination should consider the traveler to be first and foremost a guest of the city, then a guest of the business providing the services and facilities, and only lastly, their customer. This is a rule of thumb that can make or break the tourism industry. We can all work harder to help our visitors feel welcome and make them want to return again.

·         Architectural, urban and environmental planning and management need to foster 'Traditional Knowledge' and 'Intercultural Dialogue'. We need to plan for tourism in the future. Culture is both tangible and intangible. Future building should reflect the personality that is Pullman.

That means as a whole we need to focus on decreasing the use of scarce resources, identify and evaluate both positive and negative environmental, economic and social impacts, and plan to connect both visitors and residents to the Palouse environmentally and culturally. This truly is a great place to live!

Vicki Leeper

Tourism Director