Nevada is a dusty crossroads of surprisingly unique communities and wide open expanses of beautiful terrain that are ready to be explored. Travel Nevada is a hub connecting travelers with opportunities to visit many of these one-of-a-kind communities in Nevada and a resource for these communities to showcase and further develop their destinations to attract these economy-stimulating tourists.
Through the Nevada Division of Tourism, $2 million in funding is available to multiple awardees for the Destination Development Demonstration Project (3-D Project for short), which specifically serves to help Nevada communities enhance and realize the assets they have to offer to travelers.
Travel Nevada has launched the 3-D tour in hopes of finding concepts that have the potential to not only grow tourism, but bring great economic benefits to rural Nevada, according to Travel Nevada’s Destination Development Manager for the Nevada Division of Tourism, Cortney Bloomer.
These concepts can emphasize diverse cultures, outdoor recreation opportunities, historical understanding, or many other possibilities. The idea is to “synergize” what travelers want with what the community wants, according to Bloomer.
The process to bring this funding to rural Nevada requires a team of individuals and partners that can highlight exclusive experience opportunities and foster longevity that will keep the concept growing even after the funding is awarded.
“What people want is what you already have,” said Bloomer, during the 3-D Project tour that stopped in Winnemucca on Sept. 12.
Local and regional economic development agencies, chambers of commerce, First Nations governments and organizations, tourism-adjacent local government agencies , elected officials, non-profit partners, local businesses who support tourism, state and Federal government partners, and others interested in seeing the local tourism economy grow were invited to attend the 3-D Project presentation and to apply for the funding.
Entities are invited to team up to support the concept and collaborate to create a multifaceted idea to grow tourism. The stronger the team, the better chances of attaining the funding.
If awarded part of the funding through the application program, recipients will have access to seven months of collaboration with consultants that can help communities identify where they want to grow in regards to tourism and create a ten-year destination plan. Different types of training and monthly workshops will be available to anyone interested in tourism growth. The idea is to have a concept, not a plan, that can be refined over the consulting period, according to Bloomer, so open-mindedness is a must.
Bloomer explained that the capacity of the leaders to garner local support and scope of economic impact, such as locally or state-wide, are considerations for the funding process.
Applications for the program, which will have up to six awardees, can be submitted through the online platform, Submittable, by midnight on Oct. 25 and the winners will be announced on Dec. 9.
According to Bloomer, this funding will be up for grabs for multiple years, so even if applicants are not awarded this time, they should continue applying. There are specific requirements and information that must be collected for the application, so participants are encouraged to start organizing as soon as possible.
Visit the Travel Nevada website to get more information about application requirements and tourism opportunities in Nevada.