Tourism and Marketing

These organizations used their expertise in technology, regional planning, marketing and local historical knowledge to create the foundations needed to turn travelers into tourists.

The Coastal Georgia Travel Game project, conceived and published by the Coastal Georgia Regional Development Center and partners, produced a game book providing travelers with the region’s coastal environment information and tourism opportunities. The free game books are distributed in the region’s information centers. The publication is written for elementary and middle school children, with the idea that they will transfer information to their parents and encourage travelers on the I-95 corridor to stop and explore the region’s many ecotourism and historic attractions. The total estimated project cost was $57,061, generated from state/local grants and private donations.

The King’s Coastal Corridor Initiative project began in 1998 when the regional planning agencies in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, including Coastal Georgia Regional Development Center, decided to promote tourism along a rural corridor that stretches 130 miles from Charleston, South Carolina to St. Augustine, Florida. Recognizing the popularity of their shared coastal heritage and the need to boost economic development, the collaborative group (chambers of commerce, universities, artisans, preservation advocates, federal agencies, local governments, cultural representatives and state agencies) developed a strategic plan and is seeking National Park Service designation as a heritage corridor.

The Mesabi Trail Interactive Mapping Website project, serving northern Minnesota, is the result of the regional railroad authority’s initiative to create an interactive web-based map with geographic information systems (GIS) application for tourism promotions. The railroad authority contracted Arrowhead Regional Development Commission who used global positioning systems (GPS) to capture accurate alignment for the five trail segments. The data was processed through GIS/GPS software and served through an ArcIMS Internet Map Server. Users can log on to www.mesabitrail.com/frames/ main.html and view detailed information about the trail, including photos, services offered and trail conditions.

Award Winners Coastal Georgia Travel Game and King’s Coastal Corridor Initiative, Coastal Georgia RDC. Contact: Vernon D. Martin, AICP, PO Box 1917, Brunswick, GA 31521-1917; (912) 264-7363 ext. 206; fax (912) 262-2313; email vmartin@gwins.campuscwix.net; web www.coastalgeorgiadc.org

Mesabi Trail Interactive Mapping Website, Arrowhead RDC. Contact: Jon Fiskness, 221 West First St., Duluth, MN 55802; (218) 722-5545; fax (218) 529-7592; email jfiskness@mail.ardc.org or dyapel@mail.ardc.org; web www.ardc.org

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