Editorial
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum Tourism Benefits
A successful tourism economy is based on cooperative efforts of public sector facilities and private sector entrepreneurs. Almost two years ago, Springfield’s newest public attraction the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum opened and became a crowd-magnet that gave nearby real estate owners an advantage. But with a million visitors being reached, a close proximity has unfortunately remained one of the main criteria for reaching travelers. It wasn’t supposed to be that way, don’t you remember the promise of revitalizing the entire downtown. For that to eventually happen, our major tourist attraction must reverse its efforts to hold its tourist audience captive.
Places of interest throughout the City are ready to greet out of town visitors. Local tourism officials will tell you that providing alternate products or services are necessary for visitors to stay longer and even more importantly make that return trip. Expanding the boundaries of where tourists might go makes the entire downtown area, the Capitol Complex, the Medical District and much more desirerable place to visit, stay awhile or locate. There are too many of us here locally that want to help create a more vibrant tourist minded Springfield and do not want to just settle for, dare I say this, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum game plan. Entrepreneurs create interest to move people beyond the original focus of their visit. Public governmental bodies shouldn’t undermine these potentials by trying to contain visitor on site.
Conforming beautiful former residences like the Pasfield House to commercial use can be repeated again and again throughout the central city. That type of economic development helps to stabilize neighborhoods, raising property values and ultimately tax revenue along the way. Owner operated businesses can flourish in our local tourism market thanks our History, Architecture and of course our many interesting Museums. The older central city neighborhoods are poised to flourish, with government assisting not competing, no favorites please, just a level playing field.
When government becomes a competitor to those you wish to offer food, gifts, entertainment, education and/or lodging for the out of town travelers there is limited benefit. Taxpayers should be apprehensive of the present public sector trend of offering government operated activities that compete with the private sector. In doing so entrepreneurship is discouraged and that limits local development opportunities, business leaders should take notice. Understandable, not for profit groups often seek additional sources of funding from the sale of items. Public Governmental Bodies should be more aware that it becomes more difficult for the private sector to compete in tourism when rental space for small groups and similar activities directed to are being sheltered within taxpayers facilities and administered with public funds, paying no property tax.
I hope more citizens would begin questioning the logic of placing the public sector in competition with private businesses. There purpose should be to offer more local assistance for reclaimable neighborhood properties outside the overdone present Downtown TIF District. Much more needs to be done to support the efforts of individuals interested in historic preservation. That type of effort will provide a better opportunity to revitalize areas of the city that missed out on current TIF or Historic District incentives.