Marketing of tourism poses special challenges for many rural areas. Frequently, rural
communities lack the name recognition associated with more populated areas. Different
strategies can be pursued to achieve greater name recognition among potential visitors.
Commonly, this involves targeting potential visitors to an area. For example, Henning (1996) demonstrates that survey methods in a rural Louisiana community have been effective in targeting the area to seniors, who are among the most frequent visitors. Often regional marketing makes the most sense given the limited resources available to many rural areas (Shields and Schibik, 1995). However, Sadowske and Alexander (1992) caution that prior to implementing an expensive marketing strategy, communities should be aware of other costs associated with tourism development. They also argue that the key to success in tourism often lies in communities striking a balance between the private and social costs and benefits of rural tourism development.