Recent Press
Tourism dignitary to visit Tahlequah
By RENEE FITE
TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS
February 27, 2008
If Tahlequah isn’t already an outstanding destination, it could become one soon. A co-founder of the Destination Development team, Roger Brooks, will be visiting town this week to evaluate Tahlequah’s advantages and offer options for improvement. Brooks will speak Thursday, Feb. 28 at 8 a.m. at the Armory Municipal Center, and the public is invited to attend his presentation. “He is doing an assessment here that will include wayfinding and branding,”
Tourism Director Kate Kelley said. “We’ve worked a long time on this and we very much look forward to hearing his suggestions. And we want to encourage everyone who is interested to come to his presentation.”
After local officials decided to work with Brooks, it took another year before he had an opening in his schedule. Kelley said Brooks is so respected in his field that chamber and tourism professionals from Muskogee, Tulsa and Cleveland, among others, are coming to hear his presentation. “I heard him speak at the 2005 Governor’s Conference on Tourism,” Kelley said.
“He had a Power Point presentation that illustrated points from his book, ‘The 25 Immutable Rules of Tourism.’ He was so dynamic and positive, and humorous, that I bought his book.” A founding member of the award-winning Destination Development team, Brooks has worked in the tourism and resort development industry for more than 20 years, becoming one of the most quoted experts in community and resort branding, consumer trends, marketing, advertising, and project development in North America. His enthusiasm for the tourism industry is renowned, as are his step-by-step instructions in helping communities make something happen. For nearly 25 years, the Destination Development team has worked with more than 360 communities, resorts and downtowns to develop outstanding destinations.
Hand-picked from around the country, the DDI team includes some of the most creative minds in the business. Muskogee was host to Brooks, and officials there were very pleased with the assessment. Treasure Ruttman, tourism director with the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce, said Brooks is the most sought-after tourism expert in the nation. “The fact that the city of Tahlequah and the Cherokee Nation have the foresight to hire him says a lot about their commitment to tourism in the Tahlequah area,” Ruttman said. Ruttman said his recommendations started them working on tourism initiatives that have been extremely helpful in making Muskogee more visitor-friendly. “We’ve been working on wayfinding signage, community pride and curb appeal,” she said.
“Having him come to Muskogee was a great way for us to unify the Chamber of Commerce, city of Muskogee, economic development and citizens.” Kelley said with such a spirit of cooperation here, she can’t help but feel it’s going to extend to local tourism efforts. “I know he’s going to find many good things about Tahlequah that would appeal to visitors,” Kelley said. “I look forward to his suggestions on how Tahlequah can become an even more desirable destination.” William Lowe, chairman of the Tahlequah Area Tourism Council, saw Brooks’ presentation to the Muskogee group. “He presented his findings in such a way it gave the citizens of Muskogee a sense of ownership and pride to carry out his recommendations,” Lowe said. Lowe said having Brooks conduct an assessment of Tahlequah is just what the city needs to get its opportunities in the tourism industry.
Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Tourism Linda Spyres has seen Brooks’ presentation and has his book. “I think he’ll be an asset and hopefully inspire the whole community,” Spyres said. “You can have planned change or shotgun change, and this is definitely planned change. We need it. “If you start looking at Tahlequah – and I’ve started since we’ve commissioned Brooks – you’ll see Tahlequah is such a beautiful area, and we need to enhance our image if we want tourism to come here, not just go down the Bertha Parker bypass and on to the river.”
Spyres said he’ll have pictures in his presentation of scenes that area residents probably drive by and never notice. “He comes in with fresh eyes and sees Tahlequah as we don’t see it,” she said. She’d like to see access to Tahlequah’s assets enhanced. “We want to bring tourists to the Tahlequah area, we want the income, and we want to show the jewel that Tahlequah is,” Spyres said.
