Yahoo Autos Letter to the Editor: Visiting central Kansas should be a SLAM dunk!
As the owner of Lindsborg Vacation Rentals, our guests are in town for many reasons - from visiting family to enjoying a festival. Other guests stay with us for events in nearby towns. Professionals on temporary work assignments with local manufacturers, such as Pfizer, Johns-Manville, stay for weeks or months.
The Chambers of Commerce or CVBs of Salina, Lindsborg, Abilene and McPherson entice potential guests with local tourist venues and events large and small. But it appears that each community is competing against the others. Why?
Only for transient guest taxes and sales taxes? Yes, that’s a substantial economic driver. But what our guests really want is genuine hospitality, no matter where they sleep at night.
What would happen if Salina, Lindsborg, Abilene and McPherson worked together? Here’s a thought: combine the first letter of each city’s name. What does that spell? S-L-A-M!
Just like a team practicing on the basketball court, collaborating can be a SLAM dunk!
As an example, Salina offers large events such as the Mid-America Farm Expo, the KKOA Leadslead Spectacular Car Show and the Smoky Hill River Festival. Certainly Salina prefers that all guests stay in their city. But that decision is solely up to the guests, not the Chamber. Salina can instead offer motels, hotels, vacation rentals and RV parks across central Kansas.
Although Kansas Tourism has segmented the state into different regions, cities can work together despite these boundaries. The Midwest's Driftless Area encompasses not only cities and counties, but parts of four states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, proving that this can be done.
C’mon Salina, Lindsborg, Abilene and McPherson - pull together as a team! It’s a SLAM dunk!
Jim PrughLindsborg, Kansas
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Letter to the Editor: Visiting central Kansas should be a SLAM dunk!
