Marble Hill residents discuss attracting tourism

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Four Marble Hill citizens gathered Thursday night at the Bollinger County Library despite steadily falling snow to discuss ways to draw more tourism to their town.

Meeting organizer Eva Dunn, who is also library director, chamber of commerce member and Bollinger County Museum of Natural History president, said a similar brainstorming session was held about 10 years ago. That meeting ultimately led to the creation of a countywide tourism brochure, complete with a map, with assistance from the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission. That same brochure is being used to this day, even with some elements out of date.

"Businesses go out, sometimes very frequently," Dunn said, so a brochure isn't seen as the ideal way of passing along tourism information. Dunn said the brochures are popular at certain stops, such as Patton Junction and Jer's Restaurant, and she restocks about 500 every six to eight weeks.

Many ideas floated at the meeting trended toward technology.

Garry Major, president of the Bollinger County Chamber of Commerce, suggested small flash drives that contained listings of all the businesses and attractions with their addresses that could be sold at gas stations.

Bollinger County Presiding Commissoner Travis Elfrink agreed technology could be a good solution but wasn't convinced the flash drives would be any better than the brochures, because they still would need to be kept up to date.

"You're better off just making a website," Elfrink said.

Other ideas such as supplemental brochure inserts with updated information and text alert reminders of benefit dinners and events were suggested, but in the end, the problem of promoting tourism seemed to come down to two issues: lack of funding to hire someone to work full time on promotional materials and outreach, and lack of others wanting to get involved.

Majors said even when churches or other groups and businesses are contacted for information, they don't always call back or send it in.

"We even offer free radio time," but they still don't get back in touch, Majors said. Elfrink said he thought maybe groups and businesses were disinclined to help each other because of area high school rivalries.

Elfrink expressed his wish for the town to have a sporting-goods store.

"Promote what you got," he said. The outlying areas get a lot of traffic from fishermen and other outdoorsmen. Majors noted most of the outdoorsmen who drive to the area from Jackson or Cape Girardeau purchase all their gear and supplies ahead of time and bring them along.

"And they communicate. They talk," he said.

With a cultural center preparing to open soon, Highway 34 undergoing improvements and the town's hotel reopening soon, the group agreed the potential was there for tourism growth.

Dunn suggested they look into the possibility of a regional planning grant to hire someone to help promote the area's attractions.

kwebster@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

302 Conrad Ave., Marble Hill, Mo.