Regional and Community Development
Tourism has vast potentials in all locales. The Experience Co-Evolution Group’s approach is called the Regional Revitalization and Empowerment Strategy (RRES). The term “revitalization” relates to communities, diversifying their economies through creative and cooperative approaches, and “empowerment” relates to individuals – strengthening and supporting individual achievement through experiential education. The RRES encourages a grass-roots approach for empowering regions and people to develop tourism and other complementary industries (e.g. agriculture, arts and music, entrepreneurship). The foundational principles build on creating new educational platforms emphasizing environmental awareness and protection.  Accomplishing this multi-faceted approach involves educating people about the criticality of the human-nature relationship, and the utilization of technologies for beneficial purposes to expand cooperative and sustainable models for community development.

The Regional Revitalization and Empowerment Strategy (RRES) is comprised of three primary “Initiatives” 1) Education, 2) Branding/Marketing, and 3) Developing New Technologies.

Initiative I – Education: Creating a tourism, agricultural and community economic diversification institute—the “Rural Innovation Institute” (RII) providing technical assistance for tourism, value-added agricultural, energy, intentional communities and other endeavors.

The RII provides access to information and technical assistance, with an entrepreneurial focus. The RII  supports holistic economic development strategies focused on tourism, innovation in agriculture and small business development. Additionally, the RRI will aim to create a network of on-site, hands-on training seminars for local “trainers” to create a network of “tech-transfer associates” throughout regions. The initiative will partner with regional organizations and businesses to develop educational outreach programs.

Initiative II – Branding/Marketing: “Experience Your Region” regional tourism destination branding (national and internationally marketed) – the actual “brand/trademark” will be developed from the initiatives, since individual regions will create their own unique brands.

Regional branding is marketed both nationally and internationally as “Experience Your Region”, as experiential tourism destination(s). The purpose of this initiative is to expand experiential tourism in the region, based on existing tourism attractions and those developing, in addition to the existing and developing infrastructure.

Initiative III – Developing New Technologies: Supporting both the Education and Marketing aspects of the RRES are access portals for people and communities everywhere, and for domestic and international travelers to find travel opportunities.

The purpose of these new technologies is to provide: 1) a complete “package” of answers to questions that travelers might have, 2) customized information about the places they are/will be traveling, and 3) support for rural communities and small businesses to market themselves. Additional technologies support the creation of a “virtual” university providing practical education tools, including: tourism, creative and cooperative approaches, and entrepreneurship.