T

he intense spotlight that accompanies a visit by the Vice President of the United States has been turned off.

The attention by national media outlets on the city of Selma, Dallas County and Alabama’s Black Belt has been turned in another direction, some other area of the country, some other big story. But just because there is not an event bringing tens of thousands of visitors to Selma for a one-day commemoration — as we saw last weekend — does not mean we are not being scrutinized, reviewed and critiqued.

Because of our history, both the good parts of our history and those we would rather play down, Selma is a destination location. While Jubilee brings the largest number of people to a single event, other events such as Pilgrimage and Battle of Selma, play a key role in our area’s biggest economic engine — tourism. Even events that are smaller in scale such as StreetFest, Riverfront Market Day, the Alabama River Chili Cookoff and the annual festival at Kenan’s Mill, are crucial to bringing in visitors — and their wallets — to our area.

It is for this reason, that we must maintain our readiness. We must continue to sharpen our customer skills, beautify our streets, yards and homes and continue to find ways to add to the value these guests place on their visits to Selma.

We continue to endorse the investments made by the city, especially the amphitheater, which will be a huge draw for years to come. We need to remember, tourism is crucial to our area’s success and an area we must continue to find ways to build upon.