by Cody Hodge

Created on: February 18, 2010

We live in a global economy now more than ever. When one nation stops selling, another nation stops buying, and the rest of the world can go into a tailspin. As travel becomes faster and it becomes easier for people to go from place to place it means that people can be anywhere in the world at any time. This means that tourism is a source of more money meaning that the hospitality industry is connected to the global economy.

Some places are just natural spots for tourism because of the advantages they have over other spots. A place like Hawaii is going to be huge for tourism because it is warm and people want to go there when it is cold during those long winter months. Other places just have really great attractions whether it be a historic location or a spot that people want to see because of word of mouth.

What happens though if you don't have a natural tourist attraction? What if you don't have a famous lake or river, or a famous person that you can rely on for tourism income? As a community leader or mayor, you might not think that you have to worry too much about the hospitality industry in your town or city. However, you do need to keep an eye on your hospitality industry if you want your community to make money.

Think about what happens if someone happens to be passing through your town or city and they need a place to rest for the night. Would you rather not build a hotel or some sort of lodging thinking that no one really needs to stop and stay in your town? If you keep someone for the night you could inspire some sort of tourism.

This is what connects the two industries because where someone is can be turned into a tourist spot. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and you never know when someone might stop into the local sports bar and rave about the wings. Maybe that person writes a review about them on the Internet and you have a huge new stop for people in town!

If you think you don't need hospitality in your town you are losing out on potential money. If you are thinking smartly you will know that you can use every dollar that you can get people to spend in your town. Make a stranger feel welcome and maybe they will want to come back with others to spend more money in your town.

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