Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 15, 1995 TAG: 9503150044
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
That's the sentiment that surfaced Tuesday during a panel discussion at Virginia Tech sponsored by the New Century Council, a citizens' group studying the region's economic future.
"We have beaches that are sandy even though they're in the mountains," said Michelle Wright, executive director of the Greater Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce. But "it doesn't matter how many treasures we have here. The dollars will not come," unless the region is promoted.
Bev Fitzpatrick, the council's executive director, said there's a prime example of a missed opportunity to sell the region being built now in Roanoke.
The elaborate pedestrian walkway bridge, being constructed to span railroad tracks and connect the renovated Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center with the city's downtown marketplace, ought to be furbished with boxed and lighted displays for every possible side trip a tourist could take in the Roanoke and New River valleys and surrounding counties, he said.
"You've got 200 feet that could be a shining example of all the things you could do in the New Century region," Fitzpatrick said.
Blacksburg, with Virginia Tech nearby, is considered a prime retirement spot. Also, retirees from Northern communities continue to purchase land and homes near Smith Mountain Lake. The soon-to-be-opened Hotel Roanoke will bring in thousands to its convention center. With all these things and more surrounded by the Blue Ridge mountains, the region stands to reap big financial rewards from out-of-towners, participants on the panel said.
Economic developers need to view the potential benefits of tourism in a equal light with the hopes of successful industrial recruitment, said Bob Thomas, who has been active in tourism-garnering efforts in the New River Valley.
"We're tired of seeing economic development/tourism," said Thomas, a member of the board of directors of Southwest Development Financing, which makes loans to tourism-based businesses. "Let's get rid of the slash, and make sure tourism is included under economic development, period."
John Sankey, president of Warm Hearth Village, a retirement community in Blacksburg, tied together the tourism effort and retiree search. Tourists visit, and if they like an area, there's a better chance they'd return to live there when they retire, he said. Such thinking helped pushed the town to host a motor coach convention two years ago and a retirement expo this summer.
However, several speakers urged caution. Too many tourists and retirees could ruin the region, they said. And, said Radford University economist Michael Hayes, if this region is looking to woo tourists out of the cities and retirees from traditional settling sites like Florida and Arizona, plenty of other places will be doing the same.
Haynes said the region needs to be sure of what it's selling, and the trend of urban areas to lose their cultural distinctiveness needs to be avoided.
"If we do focus on distinction, we'll be OK," Haynes said.
by CNB