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Family, friends are No. 1 reason people visit a community

Lead Summary
By
Rick Peterson, Tollefson Publishing General Manager

On Monday I attended a video presentation at the Palace Theatre by Roger Brooks. The video screening was made possible by Gary Papik and the LIFT Executive Board.
It was kind of a continuing education piece on the ongoing “destination branding” process Luverne is undertaking.
The video was titled “How To Successfully Sell Tourism … and get the funding that you need.”
The message wasn’t so much about selling your community as a tourist destination but more about selling your community on the economic impact tourism has on your community.
I know what you’re thinking: Luverne isn’t what you would think of as tourism mecca. Those were my thoughts as well. Little did I realize we have here right in our city by the river the No. 1 reason people travel — hence making us a tourism destination.
Want to guess what that is? Go ahead — give it a try. Did you think of the Blue Mounds State Park? Maybe the parks, the campground we don’t have, the golf course? All good guesses, but wrong.
The No. 1 reason people travel from one place to another is to visit family and friends.
BINGO! We have plenty of family and friends in Luverne. So how do we get the Griswolds to take their family vacation in Luverne? As far as I know, the Griswold family tree hasn’t branched out this far. Sure, we have our own “Cousin Eddies” here in Luverne. In fact, I even coffee with a couple of them. 
We don’t have a Wally World or a Disney World, but I did learn Monday we have what Disney has at all their theme parks and considers one of the most import factors to their success — and that is, a downtown.
Mr. Brooks said downtowns are the front doors to our communities, and I believe that. The problem here is our front door is locked way too often when visitors come a-knocking.
Brooks also pointed out if you can’t get the locals to shop your store, how are you going to get the out-of-towners to pass though your doors.
We as locals also have to think “downtown Luverne” before we think “downtown Sioux Falls” and give the local front door a tug first.
We have a lot going for us here in Luverne. We have the No. 1 reason people travel —that is family and friends — and when you really want to get something done, it’s a lot easier with the help of family and friends.

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