Released March 18, 2008

BURNET, Texas -– Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct a three-part nature tourism series of workshops on May 7, June 4 and June 18.

The multi-county effort’s first and third session will be held at the Fickett Center at 303 E. Jackson in Burnet. The second session will be held at the Marble Falls Chamber of Commerce located at 916 2nd Street. All sessions will run from 1-4 p.m.

The workshops are free and open to the public.

“Nature tourism pumps about $730 billion annually into the U.S. economy,” said Wade Hibler, AgriLife Extension agent in Burnet County. “A sizeable bite of that comes from our part of Texas. But is this really the business for you? We’ve crafted these sessions to help folks make that determination and to get them started on the right track if they decide that it is.”

The featured speaker for all the sessions is Miles Phillips, AgriLife Extension state program leader for nature tourism at College Station.

• Session 1 (May 7) will be “Nature Tourism: Opportunities, Case Studies and Helpful Resources.”
• Session 2 (June 4) will be “Nature Tourism: Operation Planning, Activities and Pricing.”
• Session 3 (June 18) will be “Nature Tourism: Marketing on a Small Budget.”

Organizers suggest that participants read “Nature Tourism: A Guidebook for Evaluating Enterprise Opportunities (AgriLife Extension Publication B-6147) available online for $30 at http://agrilifebookstore.org,publications http://agrilifebookstore.org/publications_browse.cfm or by calling (888) 900-2577.

“By starting this workbook before the first seminar and then using it through the series, you will improve your revenue-generating ability or be able to decide if a tourism enterprise is right for you,” Hibler said.

He also suggested using the free online revenue and cost projection program intended to be used with the workbook. To find the program, go to the Business Planning section of http://naturetourism.tamu.edu

For more information and to RSVP to help organizers plan for space and materials, call the AgriLife Extension office in Burnet County at (512) 756-5463.

The seminar series is being co-sponsored by The Tourism Office of Burnet County, the Hill Country Alliance and the AgriLife Extension offices in Burnet, Llano, Blanco, Mason and Lampasas counties.

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http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=397

Contacts: Steve Byrns, (325) 653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu

Wade Hibler, (512) 756-5463, wadehibler@tamu.edu