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Tourism industry learns what Walla Walla has to offer: The tour gave local members a chance to acquaint themselves with the destinations and services.
WALLA WALLA, Jul 16, 2009 (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
When tourists come to Walla Walla, they will probably not have any trouble finding a winery to visit. This is fully appreciated by individuals in the Walla Walla tourism industry.
Chris Erickson, director of visitor services at Tourism Walla Walla, acknowledges that wine is the "main drawing power to Walla Walla," but when visitors cannot sip another sauvignon or muster another merlot, the need for alternative activities arises.
Fortunately, Walla Walla has activities in place -- it is only a matter of finding them.
Responding to this need, Tourism Walla Walla arranged a familiarization tour for local members of the tourism industry to acquaint themselves with destinations and services. Hotel representatives, inn owners, cottage renters and other local lodging providers experienced Walla Walla's attractions first hand on Wednesday.
With this experience, they will be able to satisfy the needs of their guests to get some history, culture or even some exercise.
Lori Fischer, the hostess at the Fischer House, asserted the need for a well-rounded tourist experience. It is "important to direct people to places other than wineries," she said.
To offer this kind of advice in a genuine fashion, lodging providers need the first-hand experience of the attractions. The tour bus first stopped at the Whitman Mission national historic site, the location of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman's doomed homestead.
Roger Trick, a ranger at Whitman Mission, greeted the group members, led them into the museum, showed an informative video and let them explore the grounds.
When explaining the ideas that went into the main exhibit, he got into some of the underlying themes of the attraction.
"The museum illustrates the tension between the Cayuse and the Whitmans," he said, pointing out the full-size models of Marcus Whitman and his Native American counterpart, the Cayuse medicine man, staring menacingly at each other.
At the Kirkman House Museum, a preserved historic home, members of the tour were provided with additional information and a look at the interior of the house.
Kirsten Schober, executive director of the museum, explained that going to the museum is "a great way to get a sense of what our community is about," she said. Hitting on an important theme of the tour, she pressed the need for tourists to have a cultural experience -- some fun learning about Walla Walla to pair with their wine.
Erickson insisted this sort of cultural experience is essential to Walla Walla's overall appeal.
"We are known for wine, but everything else provides a setting," he said. He was not convinced that Walla Walla wines could stand alone as a tourist attraction -- not without the remarkable history and culture of the Valley.
The tour was rooted in historical attractions, but before heading to the Fort Walla Walla Museum, some representatives from the outdoor activities industry were given a chance to speak.
They included Skip Pritchard, founder of Stone Creek Fly Fishers; Alicia Riley, manager of the Whitman Outdoor Program rental shop and Steve Rapp, of Allegro Cyclery.
To see more of the Union-Bulletin or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.union-bulletin.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
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