Rural Tourism Conference

PKG for 2003-05-29 - RUNS 2:07

Intro

In 2002, 11.6 million visitors traveled to New Mexico. A rural tourism project at New Mexico State University hosted a conference to help rural communities market themselves to tourists. Anna María Pérez-Wright has the story.

Video	Audio
	The breathtaking beauty of New Mexico's landscapes can sometimes be far off the beaten path, making it hard to attract visitors. New Mexico State University's Rural Economic Development Through Tourism or REDTT project helps rural communities promote tourism assets while preserving the quality of life in rural New Mexico. Coordinator Mike Cook says REDTT's annual conference at Acoma Pueblo provided 30 informational roundtable discussions and workshops to tourism volunteers from small communities.
Insert title at :31-:36 Mike Cook, coordinator NMSU REDTT	"This is the fourth annual statewide rural tourism conference and the purpose of each one of them is opportunity for tourism volunteers and professionals from all over New Mexico to come together and share ideas about tourism initiatives and what's working in tourism and what's not working, and how entities with, throughout the state can work together."
	N-M-S-U's Cooperative Extension Service administers REDTT. Sierra County's Extension staff is involved in 24 events. Extension agent Albert Lyon says he sees REDTT as another part of his office's educational outreach projects and programs.
Insert title at 1:06-1:11 Albert Lyon Sierra County Extension agent	"The idea behind REDTT, the acronym, is rural economic development through tourism so that's the issues we look at first– is it educational? And is it going to be economic development related towards enhancing tourism in our rural communities?"
	State tourism secretary Fred Peralta says REDTT, which was created in 1992, has been instrumental in teaching rural New Mexico residents how to market their communities.
Insert title at	"The small communities in many cases, the only way that they can create economic development is by bringing visitors to their communities to visit the sites and attractions, the cultural, traditional aspects of their communities."
	New Mexico farmers and REDTT volunteers also are enhancing agricultural tourism's popularity by holding agriculture-based festivals and operations tours. Information on REDTT events is available on their Web site: www.nmquest.org. For N-M-S-U's College of Agriculture and Home Economics, I'm Anna María Pérez-Wright.