Pretend you're new in town
I'm so glad to read in today's Bee that people are working on making Fresno County more of a tourist destination. We travel a lot and we've paid serious money to see things that are not half as great as what we have right here at home. Yosemite and all the lakes and national parks are of course a natural draw. But part of the secret is just bundling things together into a nice little package.
For example, some of the gardens in the Valley are just exquisite. I can see offering a tour that takes folks to the Forestiere Underground Gardens, the Duncan Gardens and the Shin Zen Gardens at Woodward Park.
A club-hopping tour might be fun, including a sushi bar, karaoke bar and a martini bar.
A theater or concert night could include dinner, then a concert or play and after-concert drinks and snacks.
Pretend you're a tour guide: What kind of package deals would you put together?
Comments
An obvious one would be package deals to the national parks, including air fare, hotels and shuttles or buses to the parks. They may exist, but I couldn't find any on the internet when I looked recently. And if they're hard to find, they might as well not exist.
I have a friend who recently moved to Switzerland. He told me about an excursion he took into the Alps one day - using public transportation the whole way. It's a pity that people have to drive to get to our regional treasures (unless they're in a group that charters a bus).
Posted by: Mike D. | October 4, 2006 10:44 AM
Mike, you are so right. It makes no sense to me that there are not guided van tours going every week from Fresno to Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia. I've tried many times to set up tours for our guests -- no dice. Sounds like a perfect opportunity for an entrepreneur.
Posted by: Gail Marshall | October 4, 2006 10:53 AM