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MARSHALL UNIVERSITY
Symposium focuses on ecotourism in area
Phyllis Baxter of Appalachia Forest Heritage Area was the keynote speaker at the third lecture of the Yeager Symposium, held Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009, at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- Marshall University students Megan Stafford and Jessica Beres wanted the community to see the impact cultural tourism could have in Huntington, so they planned the 23rd annual Yeager Symposium and the Harry and Betty Wolfe Lecture Series around it.
Stafford said the idea spawned from a trip to El Salvador, which doesn't attract people for its zoos and amusement parks but for its culture and environment.
"While I was there, I saw a lot of similarities between West Virginia and El Salvador," she said. "The idea of tourism is learning about a place's culture and history. We thought this area could really benefit."
The event included three lectures, culminating with Wednesday night's presentation by Phyllis Baxter about ecotourism in Appalachia. Baxter currently works with the Appalachia Forest Heritage Area, which hopes to expand West Virginia tourism based on heritage, history and culture.
Joining Baxter in an audience question-and-answer session were Audy Perry and Tyson Compton from the Cabell-Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau and Stacy McChesney from Create Huntington.
Perry, whose parents run Heritage Farm Museum and Village, said Huntington has a rich history. But people, especially those who live here, don't always realize the area's potential, he said.
"In Appalachia, we are often our own worst enemy to the world," Perry said. "We've given ourselves a negative image, but when you research it, you find the opposite."
He added that it's a shame that the rails and rivers are so underutilized when both have so much to do with Huntington's founding.
"The goal of this (symposium) is to bring awareness to the changing face of tourism and its economic impact on its local community," said Beres, co-chair of the Yeager Symposium. "Through the three different lectures we (hoped) to define ecotourism and how it's being implemented in Huntington, Appalachia and other parts of the world."
The first lecture, on Oct. 20, featured Sterling Evans. Evans, the Louise Welsh Chair at the University of Oklahoma, discussed the history and economic impact of ecotourism.
The second lecture featured Serafin Gomez, Leonor Marquez and Benito Chica, who are from Prodetur, an ecotourism company for El Salvador. Prodetur's main goal is to teach people about the area's heritage while providing economic benefits to the local community.
