Expert Commentary
What tips do you have for having fun while on a budget?
“The best value proposition in most communities is our park systems, whether local, state, or national parks. Local parks typically offer a wide variety of activities and spaces, many of which are offered either without fee or at very affordable rates. Modern park systems are designed to have facilities, activities, and programs appealing to a wide range of community members. You can have a leisurely walk on a maintained trail system, do exercise in outdoor or indoor settings, play sports, teach a kid how to fish, or attend a festival or concert. If you are into music or theater, look for events at local colleges, amateur player/theater groups — or even smaller professional theater groups who operate as non-profits.”
Terry L. Clower, Ph.D. – Professor, George Mason University
“Reserve your budget for cultural and historical enjoyment, such as museums, guided tours of historical locations, and of course some spending at a landmark restaurant. Never exhaust your budget, however. Return home with a surplus. Do not bust the bank on vacation.”
Gary L. Rose, Ph.D. – Professor, Sacred Heart University
What can local authorities do to make their city a more fun destination to visit?
“Local governments typically have a lot of control over how appealing their downtowns are to visit. First and foremost, they should work cooperatively with local businesses and stakeholders to do things, not just impose changes onto unsuspecting businesses. Possible solutions to discuss might include establishing more pedestrian spaces or communal outdoor spaces, modifying zoning/permitting processes to permanently allow more outdoor dining and making it easier to open a business and comply with annual filing requirements, making parking easier for people to find and pay for, and financially supporting local business districts/chambers, such as by creating prizes and social media incentives for people to share their fun visits online. Towns could even create transit partnerships to help people get to and from their downtowns safely and sustainably, especially important if they are considering making alcohol more widely available!”
Alex Torpey – Adjunct Professor, Seton Hall University
“During the ongoing pandemic, the main imperative for cities is to regulate their environment in ways that ensure visitors and residents that conditions are relatively safe and that options for enjoyment are open. More broadly, there are many strategies to make a city more visitor-friendly. From enhancing the city’s website with more detailed information about opportunities to more extensive signage that assists visitors in navigating the sites to incentives to local businesses to offer benefits to visitors, the local authorities have many tools to make the city more attractive and fun.”
James Danziger – Professor Emeritus, University of California, Irvine
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