ment “FIT.” The approach to branding and strong focus that FIT has on small-town tourism development has generated ongoing demand for the program and solidified partnerships across Michigan, as well as spawned inter - est from multiple Extension services and, more recently, developing countries, to adopt the program or facets of it. Many recreation sites were mentioned that I was unaware of, and I moved here in 1973! —FIT Participant “
worked once with a small town where some residents were skeptical that many outsiders stopped there, until we showed them a Michigan Department of Transportation traffic report. The report showed that 4,000 cars drove through the downtown on a Saturday in the summer. I said, “If you give just 10% of the people driving through your community a reason to stop, think of what it could do for your downtown and surround - ing area.”
University Global Scholar in Exten - sion. The Global Scholars program, administered by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), supports established and early-mid career faculty members with seed funding and travel support for two years to strengthen and ex - pand their global linkages, networks, and collaborative programs. I have already spearheaded relationships with tourism officials and academics in Costa Rica, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. What lesson have you learned that could help Extension pro- fessionals and universities that want to launch a FIT initiative? You need to be intentionally inclu -
Getting FIT
2021 FIT Success Report
p A FIT report encouraged the city of Allegan, Michigan, to promote and encourage public art.
The Michigan State University’s FIT team had completed 18 assessments by the summer of 2022 and as of December, was on track to complete two more by the end of the year. Small Michigan towns such as St. Clair, Dundee, and Cassopolis have received insights into such things as what visitors thought of the food and lodging options, how safe the visitors felt, which attractions were most (or least) interesting or accessible, and even how easy it was to find helpful infor- mation about the town online. FIT reports have inspired communities to • redesign or expand municipal websites to make them more useful to visitors and residents; • apply for thousands of dollars in grants for community projects; • create new amenities like a farmer’s market, a park, and an historical walking trail; • make themselves more pedestrian friendly; • reshape long-term development plans; and • diversify the membership of their business development groups.
We helped another town understand that it had potential to leverage its annual world-class canoe race as not just an event but also as a way to strengthen their com - munity’s identity and attractiveness to visitors. A majority of the race’s history is housed in their local museum, unavailable and unknown to the many tourists who visit this outdoor recreation mecca in central Michigan. We emphasized to them that even though the event attracts canoe racers from all over the world, few visitors are likely to know the significance of the race and its long history in the community or state. Our suggestion was to weave that canoe race event history narrative into their community’s brand - ing, image, and year-round tourism industry. How will you expand FIT? FIT’s potential isn’t limited to US communities. With extensive international development experi - ence, I have had eyes on taking FIT to developing countries with similar needs in sustainable tour - ism. It’s a vision I will soon be able to carry out, having recently been selected as a Michigan State
sive by including not only local government and business-centered organizations, but also inviting destination marketing organizations, other com - munity organizations, and, equally important, representatives of youth and under-served audi - ences; having a well rounded representation of the community is essential for success.
How do communities usually react to their FIT results?
Some of our findings surprise them with ideas previously not considered; others confirm what a community has suspected about itself but hasn’t had evidence to prove. Some communities are convinced they know what we are going to find and say, but after hearing our results many are pleasantly surprised, or even shocked. Many FIT towns have made significant changes based on what they learn from our assessments. (See “Getting Fit.” u ) Give examples of surprising FIT findings. Towns are often surprised to find out that people visit other communities to do things besides traditional tour - ist activities. They may go to a church or a grocery store in another town; they might stop for gas in a small town while they’re on a road trip; a town might have a park or event that draws visitors from outside the community. We
Listen Up! Our podcast, “MI Community Minutes,” addresses issues facing Michigan communities and what some local govern- ments are doing to address them.
20 The NET Effect | Extension Foundation/NTAE
Extension Foundation/NTAE | The NET Effect 21
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