Workshop - Tourism Marketing Strategies for Rural Communities

SHABBONA, Ill. - The benefits of small-town living seem apparent for those who live in a small town. However, it can be challenging for rural communities to market those benefits to a larger audience and increase tourism traffic. To address these challenges, University of Illinois Extension has partnered with Resource Bank to offer a workshop highlighting tools and ideas available for regional organizations, business owners, government officials, and local citizens to help their rural communities boost their tourism. 

The workshop will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 6 pm, at Quilhot Schoolhouse Community Room in Resource Bank,102 S. Indian Road, Shabbona, IL.  The presenting partners will offer a networking session immediately following the workshop. The event is free of charge and open to all interested parties who register in advance by visiting go.illinois.edu/MarketingTourismShabbona or by calling Ogle County Extension at 815-732-2191 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Pam Schallhorn, a Specialist with Illinois Extension who works in community and economic development, will lead the workshop. She will address ways to create effective tourism marketing campaigns that reach different generations and provide insights into identifying target markets and the importance of digital marketing. 

Rural tourism activities have been shown to foster local entrepreneurship, reverse the out-migration of young adults, provide local workforce opportunities, and expand economic opportunities in rural communities.  Furthermore, a recent study (White, 2023) indicates that “recreation-dependent counties grew more than twice as fast as the nation overall, and the Midwest’s recreation counties mirrored this trend.” 

Among the materials Schallhorn will cover will be a recent study by University of Illinois and Illinois Extension: I-Rural: Reimagining Illinois Rural Tourism. The workshop will review a rural tourism toolkit that allows communities and organizations to better understand and promote their communities and an updated grant resource guide. 

 
For questions about the program or if reasonable accommodations are needed to attend the program, please contact Pam Schallhorn at pscha2@illinois.edu . Early requests for accommodations are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet the requestor’s needs.

SOURCE: Pam Schallhorn, Regional Specialist, Community and Economic Development

WRITER: Mike Delany, Educator, Community and Economic Development

ABOUT EXTENSION: Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities.