Our town touts tourism, but it’s not yet in our blood.

Not enough of us anyway.

The regular cast of characters — Convention Center and Visitor Center employees, downtown shopkeepers and bed and breakfast owners — understands the impact of tourism.

They live and breathe it, and they know that without tourism, they don’t eat.

But everyone else keeps the tourists at arm’s length.

The need for a tourism transfusion was more than apparent at a meeting last week.

A few Convention and Visitor’s Bureau employees organized a tourism check-up meeting and invited the community. The empty chairs told the story.

Our community was too apathetic about tourism to give up two hours, munch on free food and open their ears.

Approximately 30 citizens attended, 30 out of about 30,000 Adams County residents. That’s not a good percentage.

The organizers and the attendees have the right idea in mind, but it’s an idea that must spread.

Natchez and Adams County, and for that matter, Vidalia and Ferriday, must become consumed with tourism if we ever hope to reach our full potential.

Touting our town is a full-time job for citizens, not just for city employees.