Coos County tourism workshop planned

A tourism and economic development workshop aimed at helping participants increase the economic impact of tourism in Coos County, will be held later this month in Berlin.

Presented by the state Department of Resources and Economic Development, the workshop, “Destination Coos County: Building the Tourism Economy in Northern New Hampshire,” will be held May 16-17 at the New Hampshire Community Technical College in Berlin.

The workshop will include a series of presentations and interactive workshops to help industry members, planners, economic development officials and other local leaders identify ways to leverage existing tourism assets and increase the economic impact of tourism in Coos County.

It will be led by rural tourism expert Roger Brooks of Destination Development Inc., the author of “The 25 Immutable Roles of Successful Tourism” who has worked with nearly 400 North American communities in developing their tourism industry. His workshops employ case histories, photos, video clips and examples of successful tourism development efforts.

“We want to work with communities and businesses to build a strong economic base for tourism in Coos county,” said George Bald, commissioner of the state Department of Resources and Economic Development. “The workshop will help to bring existing resources to the next level and develop a year-round, weatherproof approach.”

The workshop takes place a month after the release of survey results detailing opinions of Coos County residents about their area, its advantages and its economy. The Coos County Marketing Steering Committee commissioned market research firm KDPaine & Partners to conduct the survey to identify ways to grow the economy and develop the types of businesses that residents welcome. Destination Coos County is a practical next step in the process and will encourage a county-wide approach to building the tourism economy, said Coos County Commissioner Tom Brady.

“This tourism and economic development workshop is the next exciting step to help grow the economy in the North Country,” Brady said.

Also helping to present the workshop will be the Northern Community Investment Corp., NHCTC-Berlin, the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority and USDA Rural Development.

Interested parties should RSVP by May 11 to Linda Corriveau at 271-2411 or lcorriveau@dred.state.nh.us. – JEFF FEINGOLD