NATCHEZ — Tourism professionals, and nature and agri-tourism developers from around Mississippi and Louisiana, gathered in an array of interesting venues around Vicksburg in August, for the third annual Miss-Lou Regional Tourism Summit.

The event is a project of the Miss-Lou Rural Tourism Association in conjunction with the states of Mississippi and Louisiana, LSU Ag Center Research and Extension Service, the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Southern Rural Development Center.

The purpose of the summit was to provide educational programs and networking opportunities to agencies and organizations focusing on tourism-related issues with owners of tourism-related operations in the Miss-Lou. The region is comprised of 16 parishes in Louisiana and 17 counties in Mississippi, that line the states border from Sharkey County to Hancock County, and each section of the region is represented on the MLRTA board with two members from each area.

Over the course of the two-and-a-half-day summit, experts in the fields of bird watching, corn maze development, farm tours, risk management and a number of rural tourism related subjects spoke to over 100 listeners interested in developing or enhancing tourist attractions in their areas. In recent years, farmers across the country have sought alternative methods for which to use their lands to increase revenue during dry or surplus seasons. Some have developed corn mazes that have generated an average of $40,000 annually, others have turned to growing produce that visitors can hand pick on their farms, and pay either a weight price or a flat fee. It saves farmers a great deal of cost that would be incurred by harvesting the produce personally, then locating a market through which to sell it, and ultimately shipping their product to the proper markets.

If anyone is interested in joining the Miss-Lou Rural Tourism Association, contact Sally Durkin at the Natchez CVB at 601-446-6345.