Blues
tourism: The overlooked stepchild of the Delta
Workforce training. Economic development. Agriculture. Education.
Poverty. Welfare. Missed opportunities. Race.
For those of us who live in the Mississippi Delta, these
are words that we hear every day. Words that are often taken
literally, and words that are often overlooked.
We in the Delta are always on the lookout for something
new to help our economy - something new that will give us
a long needed shot in the arm. Agriculture brought us to
the dance. However, agriculture has been a mature industry
for many years now, i.e., agriculture is just not creating
many new jobs.
Manufacturing
is always a possibility and the Delta has proven that our
workforce can sustain certain levels of manufacturing. NAFTA,
however continues to add insult to injury in our region.
But, despite these obstacles, there are many possibilities
for the Delta’s future such as I-69 and the many federal
and state economic development packages that in many are
beginning to show signs of success.
As
we look for these new opportunities, one industry that has
been overlooked which is gaining traction, is tourism. While
northern California’s “product” to sell
is wine, the Mississippi Delta’s “product”
to sell is blues music.
During
the past ten years, blues music has reached an all-time
high in popularity, not only in the U.S., but across the
globe. The Mississippi Delta is Ground Zero to blues music.
Blues music, the root form of rock and popular music, was
created here in the Delta and fathered by Charlie Patton,
Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and many
others. Blues enthusiasts come to the Delta by the thousands
to see where this music was born. With little marketing,
the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale records a monthly average
of almost 1,600 visitors. Many in the industry feel that
this number is a fraction of the people who actually travel
to the Delta in search of the blues.
In
closing, I’d like to call your attention to our DBJ
web site, www.deltabusinessjournal.com. Please visit it
if you haven’t in a while. Our site is totally revamped
with a whole new look and plenty of new features and exclusives
found only on the site. Let us know what you think of it.
And be sure to participate in our weekly polls while there.
DBJ
Scott
Coopwood
Publisher
