Tourism

This paper examines tourism industry in Cedar key and identifies factors that may affect the overall performance of tourism in Cedar key. Cedar key is found in United States in Florida. Cedar key is a small island located on Floridas Coast on the west of Peninsula about four miles. As of the census of the year two thousand and three, 66 percent of the population comprises of the aged people of 45 years and above and 97 percent of the population is white.

Cedar key is a major supplier of the sea food it has several seafood restaurants that are very famous. There are two festivals in Cedar Key annually. Thousands of visitors visit Cedar key in April the visitors celebrate arts, sea food celebrations are held on Fourth of July and in October. The annual festivals preparations are mostly done by the towns people (Williams, 2004). During Cedar key sea food festival, local businesses prepare and serve local sea food.

Currently, 75 percent of the people are involved directly in the seafood festive season there are various attractions which take place together with the sea food festival. Williams (2004) points out that there are various factors that hinder tourism development of the cedar keys, these include lack of publicity, and geographical isolation or lack of publicity of the Cedar key.

Tourism is concentrated in some sectors leaving out some sectors in Cedar key. Thus not all the people benefit from the tourism long term or short term. There should be co operation between the whites and the locals and the fishermen attitude toward tourism should be detected then introduce educational programmes and seminars on tourism and fishing to the community.

Tourism industry affects economic growth of the Cedar key. There are various factors that affect tourism industry in Cedar key and these include local people attitude towards tourism affect the economic growth of cedar as the greatest population in cedar key are the whites thus whites are regarded as masters and the others slaves. Lack of productive population affects tourism growth because the population of the area is 66 percent and it consists of people aged 45 years and above, thus the biggest percentage consists of aged people and they are not productive affects tourism. Types of tourists visiting the area also affect tourism industry.

Cedar key should embrace both tourism and fishing. Fishing industry comprises taking, culturing, processing, preserving, transporting, storing, marketing or selling fish or fish products. They can also establish markets place whereby they can be establish to wholesale trade between fishermen and fish merchants or to individual consumers.

The people of cedar key should also practice recreational fishing by designing and building of recreational fishing boats, providing accommodation and guided fishing adventures. If fishing is managed poorly, the consequences are very severe and fishing should be done with extra care for the changes in the environment affects fishing.

 There should be co operation of the people of the cedar key to promote economic growth. The cedar key government needs too encourage the local people to participate in the economy growth and allow outside vendors in the seafood festival and as a result the tourism will become publicized instead of prohibiting outside vendors in the seafood festivals.
   
To promote economic growth of cedar key, the people of cedar key should have diverse activities economically. They should also be facilitating access to the commercial information and facilitation of the access to commercial information and the markets and the local people should be encouraged to participate in the small and medium sized emerging local enterprises. International cooperation should be enhanced with both the public and private sectors.

To motivate people to venture into tourism industry, there should be training and educational programmes. thus invest and protect the environment. It also ensures local communities equity among the whites, and protection of the cultural heritage. These tourism related seminars and educational programmes should be conducted at the grassroot level and in all the part including those with fishermen.to ensures that they are tourism oriented.

Cedar key can strengthen promotion of tourism through improvement of the service quality and practical cooperation by ensuring the tourist safety and also by cultivating the tourism talents both at the local and international level. There should also be marketing of the various tourism products both locally and internationally. Tourism products must be adapting to the changing needs of the market.

The department of local government ,ministry of public works and the department of environment should work together as part of the tourism infrastructure thus designate, and supervise tourism and build ups tourism projects in the country.

 In conclusion, the people of cedar coast should embrace both tourism and fishing thus if one sector fails the other performs. At the local level, the fish will provide livelihood to the population as well as food security. Fishing will also bring other solutions to the communities like there will be job creation .Growth of economy will be manifested if tourism and fishing are practiced in Cedar Key.