Roger Brooks to discuss tourism potential of Idaho communities

A national expert in developing and marketing communities as tourist destinations will be the keynote speaker at the 2010 North Idaho Tourism Summit.

Roger Brooks, founder of Destination Development International, will discuss the tourism potential of Idaho communities and how they can maximize it during the Jan. 27 summit at Red Lion Templin's Hotel on the River in Post Falls. The summit runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Brooks is co-author of "Your Town: A Destination" and has assisted more than 800 communities around the world in their efforts to become destinations for local residents and visitors alike.

He is being sponsored by Workforce Innovation Now, a group financed by a $250,000 U.S. Department of Labor Regional Innovation Grant to develop a plan for shifting the region's resource-dependent economy to emerging industries with high-wage jobs.

A 2005 analysis by Global Insight estimated tourism accounted for 5 percent of Idaho's gross state product and provided jobs for more than 47,000 workers.

More than 12,000 of those workers were in the five Panhandle counties -- more than 13 percent of North Idaho's employment. Tourists spent more than $444 million in the region during 2004.

Tickets for the summit, sponsored by the North Idaho Tourism Alliance, are available athttp://nitourismsummit.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn for $10 for those in the Panhandle and $25 for those from outside the region. The ticket includes lunch.