7 COLLABORATIVE STORY ⁄ TOURISM watershed; and the looming purchase of a couple hundred adjoining acres to provide trails and recreation for both residents and tourists. McNeilly also says an improved tourism economy brings locals “food and shops and experiences you wouldn’t have otherwise.” Another infrastructure investment that paid off for both tourism and local enjoyment is the boardwalk of the Old Growth An accessible, raised boardwalk through the Old Growth Cedar Trail nature preserve leads to a more-than-800year-old cedar tree. Benches along the way provide a place to rest and reflect on nature’s beauty. The boardwalk’s accessibility is part of a larger theme around Rockaway Beach, which has greatly stepped up efforts to make amenities accessible to people with disabilities, including paying to be part of the David’s Chair program, which provides a tracked electric wheelchair capable of traversing the beach. The emphasis on accessibility “just kind of came out organically from our residents and our city council,” Shepard says. “Rockaway in general is an older population and is also a place where multi-generational visitors are here all the time.” Shepard adds: “It’s also a huge visitor market that really, we feel, is untapped.” Rockaway Beach uses QR codes on its visitor brochures so the hard-copy products don’t risk being out of date, as businesses and other attractions can update their materials online as often as they need. Other elements fueling visitor satisfaction and business success include new restrooms at the main beach wayside and the freshwater Lake Lytle, where other improvements are underway; improved, accessible beach access; and an emphasis on increasing “shoulder seasons” tourism in spring and fall. “The City of Rockaway Beach has reaped the benefits that local investments bring: economic growth and vitality, infrastructure that welcomes all, and enhanced livability for the community,” says Nan Devlin of Rural Tourism Partners. “They are a model for other rural towns.” n Cedar Trail, an accessible amenity that conveys visitors across wetlands to the “Rockaway Big Tree,” a 154-foot-tall, more-than-800-year-old Western red cedar that is one of the most magnificent specimens on the Coast. “We thought we might get a thousand visitors a year. Maybe some locals would pop in,” Shepard says. “But our estimates are we’re getting at least 40,000 visitors a year to that place.” “The City of Rockaway Beach has reaped the benefits that local investments bring: economic growth and vitality, infrastructure that welcomes all, and enhanced livability for the community. They are a model for other rural towns.” NAN DEVLIN, RURAL TOURISM PARTNERS
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