Want to bring in tourists? Borrow an idea from a small town in Spain.
Villafrechos Mayor Miguel Angel Gomez launched an advertising campaign to bring single women into his town, hoping that the 60 or so single men there could find a wife among the visitors.
The town has a declining population, and evidently not enough women to satisfy the men. Gomez kept Villafrechos' town hall open over the weekend just in case proposals were forthcoming. (This is the honest truth, according to The Associated Press! No word as to whether Gomez was one of the wife-hunting bachelors.)
News reports say the campaign was successful, at least in attracting female visitors. The tiny town was practically overrun with women of all ages, from 24 to 68.
The men took the women to lunch and toured them through Villafrechos' sites: an artisan cheese-making factory and a football field where some of the men tried to impress with their soccer skills
Now, I don't know the ratio of men to women in Kinston, but you have to admire Gomez for his inventiveness. And if it could work in Spain, why not here?
Just think about it. After we do the math, and figure out whether we're top-heavy with men or women, we could advertise in all the ritzy travel magazines that Kinston is the place to find a mate. We could set aside a weekend for Bridefest (or Groomfest).
First, we'd book rooms for them at that cozy little motel on Herritage Street. Then we could take them to lunch; tour the Global TransPark; show off the architectural marvel of the former Kinston Hotel; let them watch the CSS Neuse dry rot, and take them to Wal-Mart's parking lot for a first-hand view of night-time youth activities.
The next day we could enlist the mayor's help in visiting storefront churches. In the afternoon we could drive them around town to observe the originality of our street graffiti; introduce them to residents who would talk about the benefits of ElectriCities, and stop by the old electric plant to watch PCBs leaking from transformers and seeping into the Neuse River.
All this time we would have to have Realtors on duty to make appointments with potential house-buyers. And, of course, City Hall would be open to issue instant marriage licenses to our enthusiastic visitors who might not find someone to marry, but certainly would have fallen in love with our town and never want to leave.
Somebody send a memo to the Tourism Bureau immediately.
Lee Raynor is editor of KinstonPress.com. She can be reached at
leeraynor@kinstonpress.com, or at 252-361-7530.
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