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Nebraska has a compelling story to tell tourists, expert says
By Mark Coddington
mark.coddington@theindependent.com
KEARNEY -- Most Nebraskans would probably say their state doesn't feel like a tourist's haven.
But it can be, said one tourism expert, thanks to Americans' desire for experience-oriented tourism and the potential draw that the history of the Great Plains holds.
Ted Lee Eubanks compared the plains of Nebraska to Gettysburg, Pa., a rural site that remains a popular tourism destination because of its connection to the great American saga of the Civil War.
"The Great Plains is one of the iconic American stories," Eubanks said on Thursday at the Governor's Agri/Eco-Tourism Workshop in Kearney. "The only difference is we haven't told it very well."
Eubanks, who runs a tourism consulting company called Fermata Inc. out of Austin, Texas, encouraged Nebraska's local tourism leaders to search their regions for experiences that tie into their area's nature and history, then develop ways to guide visitors to those attractions.
The traditional tourism business of cruise ships and theme parks is still thriving, Eubanks said, but alongside it, a desire for authentic, natural travel experiences is springing up, particularly among baby boomers.
"When society moves so far to the artificial, I think this is a correcting force that moves us back toward the real," Eubanks said.
These types of "real" experiences are ones Nebraska specializes in -- only tourists and even many Nebraskans don't realize it, he said.
Eubanks advised leaders to take stock of everything available (including what could be available) to visitors in their regions, including historical sites, natural vistas, shops, restaurants, hunting areas and homemade products.
Then, he said, regions need to define themselves based on what's available, paying particular attention to the deeply rooted characteristics of the area.
"You can't ask somebody to come to a place that you haven't defined," he said. "Brands based on nature, culture and history are indelible. You can't erase them. No one else can take them."
This is where regional cooperation becomes essential, Eubanks said. If leaders look beyond their own individual communities, they can find enough attractions, goods and services to satisfy curious visitors and let them experience a unique story.
In Nebraska, many of those stories revolve around the migration into the American West, the ecosystems of the Platte River and the Sandhills and the experience of modern-day agriculture, such as farming and ranching. Those are stories that many Nebraska natives may find ordinary, but city dwellers from elsewhere in the country would be fascinated by them, Eubanks said.
"Never underestimate what people are interested in. Americans are weird. We like everything," he said. "If you think there's nothing there, look again."
After Eubanks' session, conference-goers got a real-world example of exactly what he was talking about. Bruce Switzer, whose family runs the Calamus Outfitters on Calamus Reservoir near Burwell, talked about the way they developed a simple family ranch into a popular tourist destination.
The Switzers first added attractions such as river trips, hunting, horseback riding, boating and bird-watching because they needed enough income to allow Bruce's son, Adam, and his family to return to the ranch to live.
Now, he said, they generate enough income to support three families -- not only Adam's but Bruce's daughter's, too.
It's all because people are looking for an authentically rural experience, Switzer said.
"People are removed from agriculture and nature," he said. "They don't have any idea where their food comes from, and they don't have any idea of the value of native plants and animals."
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But it can be, said one tourism expert, thanks to Americans' desire for experience-oriented tourism and the potential draw that the history of the Great Plains holds.
Ted Lee Eubanks compared the plains of Nebraska to Gettysburg, Pa., a rural site that remains a popular tourism destination because of its connection to the great American saga of the Civil War.
Eubanks, who runs a tourism consulting company called Fermata Inc. out of Austin, Texas, encouraged Nebraska's local tourism leaders to search their regions for experiences that tie into their area's nature and history, then develop ways to guide visitors to those attractions.
The traditional tourism business of cruise ships and theme parks is still thriving, Eubanks said, but alongside it, a desire for authentic, natural travel experiences is springing up, particularly among baby boomers.
"When society moves so far to the artificial, I think this is a correcting force that moves us back toward the real," Eubanks said.
These types of "real" experiences are ones Nebraska specializes in -- only tourists and even many Nebraskans don't realize it, he said.
Eubanks advised leaders to take stock of everything available (including what could be available) to visitors in their regions, including historical sites, natural vistas, shops, restaurants, hunting areas and homemade products.
Then, he said, regions need to define themselves based on what's available, paying particular attention to the deeply rooted characteristics of the area.
"You can't ask somebody to come to a place that you haven't defined," he said. "Brands based on nature, culture and history are indelible. You can't erase them. No one else can take them."
This is where regional cooperation becomes essential, Eubanks said. If leaders look beyond their own individual communities, they can find enough attractions, goods and services to satisfy curious visitors and let them experience a unique story.
In Nebraska, many of those stories revolve around the migration into the American West, the ecosystems of the Platte River and the Sandhills and the experience of modern-day agriculture, such as farming and ranching. Those are stories that many Nebraska natives may find ordinary, but city dwellers from elsewhere in the country would be fascinated by them, Eubanks said.
"Never underestimate what people are interested in. Americans are weird. We like everything," he said. "If you think there's nothing there, look again."
After Eubanks' session, conference-goers got a real-world example of exactly what he was talking about. Bruce Switzer, whose family runs the Calamus Outfitters on Calamus Reservoir near Burwell, talked about the way they developed a simple family ranch into a popular tourist destination.
The Switzers first added attractions such as river trips, hunting, horseback riding, boating and bird-watching because they needed enough income to allow Bruce's son, Adam, and his family to return to the ranch to live.
Now, he said, they generate enough income to support three families -- not only Adam's but Bruce's daughter's, too.
It's all because people are looking for an authentically rural experience, Switzer said.
"People are removed from agriculture and nature," he said. "They don't have any idea where their food comes from, and they don't have any idea of the value of native plants and animals."
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