VISITORS AND TOURISTS: THEY ARE NOT THE SAME
by Keith Davies, Co-CEO & Executive Director
Greater Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce
There was a time in Western Nevada County when "tourist" was tantamount to being a four-letter word. To some people in the business of marketing and promoting this area, "tourist" seemed derogatory and "visitor" was more politically correct. About that same time a decision was made to rebrand bed and breakfast inns and certain hotels as "historic lodging facilities."
For several years, then, local marketing was directed at attracting visitors with the aim of getting them to spend a night or two in a historic lodging facility. Gone were the days of attracting tourists to stay in B&Bs and hotels. But in trying to rebrand the nomenclature, some promotional efforts failed to take into account that in many cases there is a big difference between a tourist and a visitor.
Although the lines do sometimes blur, a tourist is typically someone who has not previously been here, while a visitor is someone who has been here before and returns -- often, we hope. Also in the category of visitors are the day-trippers; people who live within 60-70 miles and come here for the day then return home that evening. They drive here for a special event, wine tasting, museum tours, a swim in the river, and more.
To Read the Entire Article Click Here
