Progress 06/15/05 to 06/14/06
Outputs
REDTT Year 14 NMSU Rural Economic Development Through Tourism Project REDTT hospitality training specialist Allison Southworth provided her Catch Our Enchanted Spirit training program to participants throughout the 17 rural county service area. Sessions were held in Dona Ana, Chaves, Luna, Sandoval and Eddy Counties. To date more than 7,000 tourism volunteers and professionals in nearly every county in New Mexico have been trained. REDTT remains committed to providing hospitality and customer service training throughout REDTT and non-REDTT counties upon request. REDTT showcased E Commerce 101 Putting Your Small Business on the Internet, in Tucumcari, NM. REDTTs E commerce initiative is designed to create a working knowledge of E commerce as a tool to grow business opportunities. REDTT facilitated the creation of the I Know Cibola County, Ask Me customer service training project. REDTT staff, acting as technical assistants to county tourism councils (CTC) in all 17
counties served by REDTT, attended 187 CTC meetings in the service area in 2005. REDTT produced a Summer 2005 and Winter 2006 issues of Trails & Treasures the issue titled, Driving More of REDTTs New Mexico and Plenty To Do In Rural New Mexico, respectfully. REDTT hosted a group of International Meeting Planners in Otero and Dona Ana Counties. Six meeting planners from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico received a tour of Otero and Dona Ana Counties, which included Alamogordo, Mesilla and Sunland Park, New Mexico. REDTT hosted a group of western writers and outdoor landscape artist to Guadalupe County in 2005. REDTT continues to provide a calendar of events to KRWG-TV, a Public Television station based at NMSU in Las Cruces. REDTT hosted its sixth annual Rural Tourism Conference more than 190 tourism volunteers and professionals attended the event held, April 25 April 26 in Deming, New Mexico. Jane Eckerd, a national expert on agribusiness provided two keynote addresses and facilitated
two workshops on the topic of growing an agribusiness in New Mexico. New Mexico Tourism Secretary, Mike Cerletti provided the State of Tourism keynote address for the events luncheon. Roger Brooks, author of the 10 Immutable Rules of Tourism, provided a dinner presentation and two workshops on tourism rules and signage. REDTT continues to recognize outstanding tourism leadership. Awards are given at the 2005 rural tourism conference, recognized outstanding CES director and outstanding tourism professional from the 17 REDTT partner counties. REDTT continues to leverage all funds provided within its partner county service area with a cost match requirement. Each mini-grant awarded must demonstrate a cost share match of either funds or in kind support. In 2005 REDTT received $334,264 in USDA funding a decrease of $2,600 from the 2004 funded amount of $336,880 and a $14,576 decrease from the 2003 awarded amount of $348,840. In 2005 REDTT received a $14,000 grant to assist in the
development of an overall Historical Tourism Strategic Plan for the NM Bureau of Land Management. The expected completion date for the BLM project is September 2006.
Impacts
More than $50,000 in mini grants for activities showcasing Native American art and culture, a writer familiarization tours that featured tourism amenities such as White Sands National Monument Otero County , mountaintop solar observatory Otero County and scenic Old Mesilla Dona Ana County and continued support of the annual Billy the Kid Last Ride Trail Ride. The $50,000 awarded represented more than 50 tourism projects in 17 New Mexico counties. Projects include customer training, walking tour development, billboards, banners, brochures, festival development, Web site development, tour-guide training and tours for travel writers and tourism employees, among others. With New Mexico Department of Tourism marketing budget focused on primary and secondary market opportunities in both domestic and international sectors, the role of REDTT remains focused on education and awareness of New Mexico rural tourism amenities. The value of New Mexico in state travel market remains
a matter of working to insure as New Mexicans eyes are opened to the great destinations that for many remain as close as there own backyards. Without out the dissemination of resources on how to maintain and enhance visitor experiences in rural New Mexico through hospitality training and resource identification and festival development the lodging and restaurant and retail economies dependent about travelers will be dramatically impacted.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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