Letter: Tourism plan must be all-inclusive

Letter: Tourism plan must be all-inclusive



James Bullock
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 05/17/09

Editor: This editorial is in response to the guest column entitled "Tourism Master Plan Phase One Lacks Beef," by Derek Boyd Hankerson on May 3.

The world will be watching in 2012 and 2015; we cannot afford to fail history. We cannot afford a Tourist Development Council report with egregious omissions.

St. Augustine is rich with a multi-cultural heritage, including Indian, Spanish, African, French, German, Minorcan, and British. Americans today come in many shapes and colors, as they did in the earliest beginnings of St. Augustine. People of color, both known and forgotten, have lived and died here, making St. Augustine the city it is today, and contributing to America as a country.

Regrettably, the story of St. Augustine has languished in American history. We need the involvement of our local community to bring the passion and power of our city into the spotlight of the world.

St. Augustine sits on the edge of a world-class vacation experience. We have the history; now is the time to highlight culture. Stop debating the importance of the arts. The key issue should be management of tourist flow. Many places have beaches and golf, but no other place has the rich, amazing, and diverse history St. Augustine has, and the layers of culture built up with it.

As the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States, St. Augustine should set the precedent for anniversaries of its kind.

I call for a tourist development plan inclusive of our multi-cultural history, with a streamlined grant process, involvement of local artists and historians, and a cost- effective advertising ratio based on contemporary information. Let us look to the future as we celebrate our past. May these times bring out the best in our leaders, as we consider the long-term impact of our choices today.

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