Rural Nevada towns get advice on tourism promotion

Thursday, April 6, 2006 | 8:21 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Local politics, vague, generic promotions and just plain bad concepts will kill tourism, but good planning and bright ideas will leave rural Nevada towns "laughing all the way to the bank," a tourism-building expert said Thursday.

Roger Brooks, who has toured dozens of Nevada communities, outlined his views at the Nevada Commission on Tourism's annual "Rural Roundup" conference, cautioning against town slogans such as the one for Beaver, Okla. - "Cow Chip Capital."

Funny, clever slogans will make people laugh, said Brooks, noting one for Hooker, Okla., that says "It's a location, not a vocation" and another for Gas, Kan., that says "Don't pass Gas. Stop and enjoy it."

But the big successes start with a good lure that stands out from others and isn't overly clever, backed up by other diversions that may not be that unusual but will get tourists' dollars once they're in town, Brooks said.

Brooks highlighted the Shakespeare plays and related events in Ashland, Ore., that started small and now run for nine months a year. The town of about 20,000 residents gets nearly half a million annual visitors who stay an average of six nights, he said.

Also singled out was the "Divine Nine" theme to promote golf courses and other activities in the Carson City-Carson Valley-Lake Tahoe area. By joining forces, Brooks said the communities in the area came up with a bigger attraction than they could have with separate promotions.

Brooks also praised Lovelock's new pitch, started on Valentine's Day, as a place "to lock your love forever." The theme is based on an old Chinese tradition in which couples put a small lock on a chain as a symbol of their love.

There's also hope for Hawthorne, which is building on its long history as the location of a big ammunition dump by describing itself as "America's patriotic home," Brooks said. The town features, among other things, a small museum filled with bombs, torpedoes and other military weaponry.