The 2017 National Extension Tourism Conference will be held in Princeton, NJ, on Aug. 8-10.
Holly George, who is serving on the conference planning committee, encourages her Cooperative Extension colleagues and their clientele to attend the conference to share their success stories, programs and research with others who are interested in tourism activities.
“The NET Conference, held every other year, is a great opportunity to interact with others across the U.S.A. and Canada doing this type of work and cultivate relationships with colleagues for regional research and outreach to augment economic diversity and build vitality in our communities,” said George, UC Cooperative Extension advisor emeritus.
"This conference is an outstanding opportunity for Extension professionals and others working in the broad area of tourism and recreation – including tourism service providers and businesses – to share programs, initiatives, research and success stories, and to network with other professionals," George said.
This year's theme, “Tourism in the 21st Century: Connecting Communities, Places and People,” focuses on the important role that tourism plays in many aspects of communities, places and people.
Topical areas include:
- Nature‐based Tourism: Ecotourism, Wildlife‐watching and Adventure Tourism
- Agritourism – Local Foods, Farmers Markets, Culinary Tourism and Farm Stays
- Cultural-Heritage Tourism
- Marketing and Promotion – the Digital Revolution
- The Shared Economy
- Placemaking
- Community and Regional Planning and Development
- Economic, Environmental and Social Impacts of Tourism and Recreation
- Tourism Education, Training and Certification Programs
- Tourism Research and Evaluation
Visit the Call for Proposals webpage to submit a proposal. The deadline for submissions is March 13, 2017. Presenters will be notified in April if accepted.
Specific questions or inquiries regarding proposal submissions may be addressed to Steve Burr, 2017 NET conference program chair, at steve.burr@usu.edu and (435) 797-5120.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Holly George, who is serving on the conference planning committee, encourages her Cooperative Extension colleagues and their clientele to attend the conference to share their success stories, programs and research with others who are interested in tourism activities.
“After 30-plus years with Cooperative Extension, I've learned that to be an effective ‘change agent' one needs to think more broadly about and incorporate community engagement and public education into more of our programs,” said George, UCANR Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources advisor in Plumas-Sierra counties. “While no one in California CE has tourism as part of their job description, I believe that working with an array of people associated with different aspects of tourism is an excellent venue for us to improve the public's understanding of agriculture and natural resources.”
This year's theme, “Coast to Coast, Tourism Matters” focuses on the role that tourism plays in many aspects of business, community and agricultural landowner operations.
1. Rural Tourism Development/Tourism in Resilient Communities
2. Community and Regional Planning and Development
3. Economic, Environmental, and Social Impacts of Tourism and Recreation
4. Agritourism—Local Foods, Farmers Markets, Culinary Tourism
5. Heritage and Cultural Tourism
6. Nature-based Tourism: Ecotourism, Wildlife Enterprises, Adventure Tourism, Coastal Tourism
7. Marketing and Promotion
8. Tourism Research and Evaluation
9. Tourism Education, Training and Certification Programs
“The NET Conference, held every other year, is a great opportunity to interact with others across the USA and Canada doing this type of work and cultivate relationships with colleagues for regional research and outreachto augment economic diversity and build vitality in our communities,” George said.
To submit a proposal for a presentation, poster or workshop, enter a 400-word abstract at http://extensiontourism.net/conference by May 1. Videos will be accepted until Aug. 1.
For more information, visit the 2015 National Extension Tourism Conference website at http://extensiontourism.net/conference.