By Jayne Clark
USA Today
Eight months after a massive tornado blew into town creating a
six-mile path of destruction and killing 161 people, the city's tourism
office is courting visitors with a free "tornado travel" map.
About 7,500 dwellings were damaged, including 4,000 deemed uninhabitable in the city of 50,000.
Patrick Tuttle, director of the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau says the map is meant to illustrate "living history."
"We
are not actively promoting the tornado," Tuttle said in a phone
interview Monday. "Mainly, (the map) is a piece of information. Maybe
people will have a reason to give, or put together a volunteer group
because there's still a lot of work being done, or even come into town
and buy something."
Hotels, restaurants and stores are open for business, he added.
However, a news report about the map, sparked the ire of some residents. One man created a Citizens Against Tornado Tours Facebook page urging others to voice their criticism. On the CVB's Facebook page, comments ranged from "insensitive" to "tacky."
Tuttle
said he realizes it's "still a tender issue. We don't want gawkers
looking at the mayhem. But we've done so much to rebuild as a city.
We're trying to get back to normal."
Post- Hurricane Katrina tours
in New Orleans sparked similar sentiments when they were first offered.
But the tours, conducted by mass market operators such as Grayline,
among others, eventually became not only popular, but accepted.
What's your take on so-called "disaster tourism"? Can it be a boon to a damaged community? Or is it just tacky?
USA Today