Kearney residents and tourism professionals got their say today on new plans to draw more visitors to Nebraska.
The meeting was one of about 30 such focus groups being held throughout the state. The gatherings are part of State Tourism Advisory Board research on a new strategic tourism plan.
Many previous tourism initiatives, including signage, are now several years old. Attendees at the Kearney meeting said Nebraska needs both high-tech and high-touch initiatives.
Focus group leader John Kaatz commented: "Going to the social media, and looking for opportunities to interact with not necessarily a new generation of travelers -- because I think a lot of people are getting into the notion of social media -- but that electronic, web-based application process I think is something to consider. We also talked a lot about visitor centers, kind of the old-fashioned, making sure there's someone there to press the flesh, meet the people."
A new state tourism slogan is also being considered as part of the image campaign.
