Last weekend Washington, D.C., was packed with tourists from all over the world for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Since tourism is big business for many locales, I’ve pulled together these resources on the topic:

• Cherry Blossom Festival is typical of Festival Tourism, which centers around an event that is either place based or based on a local tradition. This article mentions Gulf Shores, Alabama; La Porte, Texas; Peoria, Arizona; and Farmers Branch, Texas.
• Sports Tourism refers to investing in teams or  hosting major sports events, such as the Olympics. Check here for three big questions to consider before getting into sports tourism.
• Retail and tourism are two industries that correlate. BuxtonCo. published a Knowledge Network article about the link between tourism and retail development and how to map your tourism development itinerary.
• In another article, Buxton offers 4 tips for becoming a successful tourism magnet: align your resources; know what you have to offer; gather your data to discover insights; and make sure your marketing fits your target.
• The Knowledge Network also contains several case studies on tourism development in cities worldwide:

          - Washington D.C.: Cultural heritage tourism is a community-based model for neighborhood economic development.

          -Woodlands and South Montgomery County, Texas: Beautification initiatives enhance tourism, and this article provides a step-by-step guide for local beautification.

          - City of Newport News, Virginia: Read about a tourism development plan and tourism zones at

icma.org/Documents/Document/Document/305190.

Is tourism a successful industry in your community? Tell us why it’s working.  Please share and comment below.

Yalan Qin

Knowledge Network, Intern