We don’t need flatlanders touting our mountains to tourists

(or something like that – the AC-T enjoys putting their own titles on letters to the editor!)

Editor:      

The choice of an Orlando company to increase tourism in Asheville was a shortsighted choice.  Orlando is flat, flat, flat.   Asheville is bumpy, bumpy, bumpy.    We need someone who can figure out how to lure to Asheville some folks from the county to spend time and money downtown. 

If one wants to help the economy in Asheville, one must consider utilizing an Asheville business.   With this job under its belt, an Asheville marketing firm would be in a much better position to bring TO Asheville dollars FROM other communities.  Let's get the arrows going in the right direction.

No doubt, the Tourism Development Authority (TDA) has the authority to make this choice.   In my opinion, if they were clever and had the interests of all of Asheville more clearly in their sights, the TDA could have chosen an Asheville agency as the “lead” contractor, so most of the money stays in Asheville and grows business here.  As we learned in the Jobs and Wages VISION Community Dialogues in 2001, “Buy Local, Hire Local” is the most important way to improve the economy of this region!

George E. Keller