Wakulla County the Target of ECHO Encounters Group

A group of trip planners visited Wakulla County during the weekend of November 10, 11th and 12th to learn more about the types of oudoor activities tourists can take advantage of while visiting Wakulla County.

The weekend was hosted locally by The Inn at Wildwood, TNT Canoe Rentals, Wakulla Springs State Park, Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratories, the Tallahassee Visitor and Convention Bureau, the Wakulla Tourist Development Council, The Bistro at Wildwood, and Mission San Luis, Tallahassee.  Trip participants included Robin White, FloridaETours.com, Suwannee Valley Wilderness Trails; Sandra Friend, Florida Trail Association, Communications Director; René Welti, President, ECHO Encounters, Atlanta; Ann Marie Noyman, Perimeter Church Outdoors, Trip Planner, Atlanta; Clement Desaulniers, Atlanta Single Hikers, Norcross, GA; and Madeleine Carr, PhD. Local coordinator.

The purpose of the weekend was to familiarize trip planners with Wakulla County and the wide variety of outdoor activities it has to offer.  The hope is that trip planners can put together “packages” to help entice tourists to visit Wakulla County.

Reception at Wildwood		Dinner at the Bistro

The weekend began on Friday night with a welcome reception at the Inn at Wildwood, hosted by the resort.  Dinner followed at the Bistro at Wildwood, hosted by the Tallahassee Tourism Council.  After dinner, guests enjoyed a presentation and panel discussion on “Living with Nature, Dealing with Nature” by locals Jody Campbell, George Weymouth, Chuck Hess, Jack Rudloe, Rene Welti and Madeleine Carr.

On Saturday guests were treated to some of the natural wonders of Wakulla County.  After breakfast at The Bistro, guests headed out for a visit to the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory and a kayaking adventure on Dickerson Bay. The group then headed to Cherokee Sink for a hike and swim, followed by a picnic.  Guests were then transported by hayride to Wakulla Springs for a boat tour of the Wakulla River.

Kayaking on Dickerson Bay		Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory

The last activity of the day was a bike ride to St. Marks, where guests then toured the fort at San Marcos de Apalache State Historic Park.  The day ended with a relaxing dinner at the Riverside Café overlooking the St. Marks River. On Sunday, guests toured Mission San Luis in Tallahassee before heading back home.

According to Rene Welti of America, Live, Inc., “We all experienced a fantastic Wakulla  County stay. Everyone was positively impacted with what they saw and experienced. The results of the visit include; ww.floridetours.com going to package Wakulla County, new Wakulla County article in the Florida Trail “Footprints” magazine with 6,500 Florida Trail subscribers, and Atlanta trip planners looking to bring Church and Single Hiker Club members to the area.  Madeleine Carr did an outstanding job of organizing key people, setting up the places to visit, coordinating and implementing the itinerary.”

Relaxing at Cherokee Sink		Cruising at Wakulla Springs

The participants were asked to give feedback and comments about their weekend by responding to a series of questions.  Here is what they had to say about their time in Wakulla County:

Question 1:  If one of the goals of the trip was for each of us to either influence, communicate or generate visitors to the places we visited please elaborate on your plans to do so:

Feedback:

"On behalf of Florida-E-Tours I plan to package the agenda we experienced and sell on my site www.floridaetours.com.  My next steps will be to communicate with the trip hosts to establish pricing, availability and their expectations for customers."

"The ECHO Encounters October 2006 In-State Supplement with 400,000 distribution included a quarter page editorial on the Wakulla County area."

"I'm writing an article about it right now to run in the next issue of the Footprint, to encourage Florida Trail activity leaders to participate in the ECHO program.  I'll be following up in 2007 with some specific destination-focused articles on Wakulla County - I plan to run a feature focused on the aquarium as a "Trailside Treasure," since it's so unique and yet so little known, and less than 5 miles from the Florida Trail.  I also plan to pitch some major magazines on the area's offerings."

"I’m involved in several church groups, one in particular with 45 members, of which I will communicate the Wakulla Springs area for a destination trip.  It’s not often we go on trips so far away, in fact this would be a first, but we have gone as far as several hours; so this is a possibility.  Although the cost associated with such a trip would be a huge factor.  Most of our group is singles (some with dependent children) and would have to make the trip as economical as possible."

"At the next Planning Meeting of Atlanta Singles Hikers, I will brief the President, Mr. Charles Dean, and discuss the possibility that a trip be set up and offered to the membership of 950+ for next spring."

"Wakulla County offers many sites and attractions that could be of interest to members of Outdoor Clubs."

"In terms of familiarization with some of the best attractions that Wakulla County is blessed with, the organization and coordination was superb. Madeleine Carr was phenomenal and excelled in providing historical details of each site visited. We all appreciated that Madeleine spent a lot of her valuable time with us to share intimately her knowledge of Wakulla County history."

"I commend Madeleine Carr for the comprehensive FAM TRIP itinerary that she put together and her attention to details, which enhanced the quality of our touring experience."

"Friday evening panel discussion on ”Living and Dealing With Nature” was a unique event allowing us in listening to field experts sharing their vast knowledge based on years of experience in their respective specialization.  Kudos to Madeleine again in setting up something very special and appreciated by all of us."

Question 2: Since one of the areas objectives is to attract “ECHO” visitors, what do you think the “Unique Sales Positions” (USP's) are?

Feedback:

"The USP of the Wakulla Springs is the untapped charm, history, diversity, and solitude of the area."

"The ability to experience the serenity and great outdoors on country roads in the absence of traffic and noise."

"Natural features, historical assets."

"Such diverse outdoor recreation offerings within one destination.  It makes sense to market them as a package, pointing visitors to available accommodations (such as the Inn at Wildwood, Sweet Magnolia B&B, Wakulla Lodge) and the availability of guides and outfitters for those who need them."

"Spend half a day kayaking on Dickerson Bay plus additional kayaking experience on the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers."

"The Cherokee Sink is another site that would be enjoyed by Outdoor ECHO oriented members of the Club."

"The bike trail between St. Marks and Tallahassee is another attraction of interest for hikers.  The segment of three miles to St. Marks was very nice and would appeal to most outdoor-oriented people."

"Visiting the Point at the confluence of the two rivers and the San Marcos de Apalachee State Historic Park followed by dinner at the historically rustic Riverside Café is a must for the ambiance as well as for the quality of food served."

Question 3:  What marketing or sales suggestions would you like to convey?

Feedback:

"I think the county needs something akin to a "Treasures of Wakulla County" map for visitors, illuminating where the county's special places are and how to get to them." 

"I would suggest arranging and publicizing well in advance special interest outdoor activities along the lines of the Wakulla champion trees walk:  perhaps a marine-biology based outing by kayak to an outer island, a historic walk out to the Confederate salt making sites, wildflower identification walks in the Apalachicola National Forest, utilizing your local experts and charging a fee as applicable, with pre-trip signup online.  Think "Learning Vacations."  People love 'em."

"There should be more comprehensive literature available about this untapped jewel of an area.  It offers so much, but no literature exists.  I could envision a map with all the destination charted; which would also include a monthly chart indicating the activities, i.e. kayaking, birding, butterflies, etc., down one side and the best time of the year, i.e. months, across the top, and checks or dots indicating that would be the best month to participate in that activity."

"Camping is very popular with our group.  A list of campsites with their respective amenities and distance from the above-mentioned sites is a requirement."

"Costs for hikers are always a sales factor when offering a trip to club members in addition to the distances involved."

"For rural areas the key thing is to market product together.  Work collectively in the market.  To package the product together and market them on various websites such as the destination site, the local chambers site, on www.floridetours.com and get into multiple places."

This article originally published on November 27, 2006.

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