NATCHEZ &8212; A regional tourism meeting opens in Natchez Wednesday, drawing about 75 tourism and chamber of commerce representatives from two states for three days of programs.

Three universities, tourism executives from Louisiana and Mississippi state tourism departments and dozens of experts in marketing community resources will take part, said Ann Davis of Woodville, who came up with the idea for the meeting.

The Miss-Lou Regional Tourism Summit will open Wednesday at the Natchez Convention Center, continue on Thursday in Woodville and return to the convention center for the concluding sessions on Friday.

Davis, director of the Mississippi State University Wilkinson County Extension Service, said the idea began a couple of years ago. She had worked at Rosemont Plantation, one of the historic sites in Woodville, and was interested in tourism in the rural South.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the South, she said, &8220;and many areas have all ready benefited from the increased economy that tourism provides.

&8220;However, many rural communities have not made an effort to take advantage of this fast-growing industry or don&8217;t know where to start.&8221;

Speakers will include Leland Speed, director of the Mississippi Development Authority; Craig Ray, MDA&8217;s tourism division chief; and, from Louisiana, Chuck Morse, assistant secretary in the Office of Tourism.

Mayors of Natchez, Vidalia and Woodville will be on hand, as will representatives from Extension Centers at Mississippi State, Alcorn State University and Louisiana State University, all partners in the summit.

Walter Tipton, director of tourism for Natchez, said the programs should provide ideas for ways small communities in Southwest Mississippi and Northeast Louisiana join together in tourism marketing.

Further, he hopes to see some other cities in other parts of Mississippi become tourism partners with Natchez.

Davis had definite goals in mind when organizing the meeting. The subtitle of the summit is &8220;Identifying and marketing your community resources.&8221;

At first, Davis envisioned a one-day educational meeting with speakers. The conference grew.

&8220;Countless individuals and rural communities could profit from, one, understanding the potential for developing tourism; two, learning how to secure funding from public and private sources; three, knowing how to build an image and publicize their communities or attractions; and, four, determining the best ways to manage their human, natural and historical resources,&8221; Davis said.