Tourism is a primary connector of communities. Tourism creates jobs, preserves history and culture, and helps a community attracts new residents. Unlike war, where borders are crossed and land conquered, tourism opens doors and takes down borders. Tourism offers economic value at multiple levels for towns large and small. The more we connect with how others live, the more we live as connected communities. In this talk I will pull together the life cycle tourism provides. Patrick Tuttle has served the tourism market of Joplin, Missouri, for the past fourteen years in leisure, group, and sports travel. A Texas native, he was raised in Joplin but spent 20 years away in the United States Air Force. Eleven of those years, he served in various levels of International Protocol.
With Joplin’s location in western Missouri, on the Kansas/Oklahoma border, regional tourism partnerships are vital. Under Patrick’s leadership, much focus has been on building on the region’s multi-faceted heritage. The primary connector is the Mother Road – historic Route 66.
Patrick is a member of the Greater Joplin Toastmasters. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx