Following my journey to Fort Wayne, Indiana earlier this yr, I used to be impressed to name the town my “hidden gem” of accessible journey in 2024, due largely to the group’s concentrate on improved accessibility. I noticed energetic partnerships between personal companies, non-profit organizations, and the vacation spot advertising and marketing group to advance inclusion.

Final yr, Go to Fort Wayne’s management staff unveiled a daring Tourism Grasp Plan that goals to place the town as a premier tourism vacation spot in the USA, with accessibility being a key pillar of the technique — a precedence that’s not set aside, however woven into the imaginative and prescient for constructing an inclusive group.

Q&A with Jessa Campbell, Go to Fort Wayne’s Director of Vacation spot Improvement and Communications

I not too long ago spoke with Jessa Campbell, Go to Fort Wayne’s Director of Vacation spot Improvement and Communications, to be taught extra concerning the Tourism Grasp Plan and the way it got here collectively. Her management and group engagement will probably be crucial in realizing the accessibility objectives outlined within the plan.

What impressed Go to Fort Wayne to determine accessibility as a precedence in its 10-year Tourism Grasp Plan? Who will probably be concerned in, or accountable for, the work to come?

Go to Fort Wayne’s Tourism Grasp Plan is a results of the superb progress our group has skilled up to now 10-15 years. We are sometimes requested in conversations with Better Fort Wayne Inc., the Metropolis of Fort Wayne, and Allen County to supply enter on tourism-based growth alternatives, however we didn’t have a solution primarily based on analysis, evaluation, and group enter from residents. Till now! We all know that any growth or alternative we recommend would should be rooted in what residents need as a result of what is sweet for residents is sweet for guests.

Go to Fort Wayne’s Tourism Grasp Plan is a 10-year imaginative and prescient and roadmap outlining tourism-based progress that builds upon and enhances Fort Wayne and Allen County’s high quality of life for residents and continues to place Fort Wayne and Allen County as a premier vacation spot for guests of all walks of life.

We’ve recognized round 16 group companions who’re main a few of the 20 suggestions, after which there are a lot of different help organizations recognized all through the plan that each one play a task in supporting efforts, considering large, and proudly owning the plan as a shared duty to construct a group that’s reflective of the varied and genuine experiences our space has to supply.

A few of the work to return contains addressing how we is usually a extra accessible vacation spot, how we develop our conference and sports activities event choices, what regional belongings we will develop round our culinary scene and distinctive retail and industrial areas, specializing in riverfront growth, and figuring out merchandise we will develop through the winter, round our music scene, and family-friendly choices.



Is Go to Fort Wayne’s dedication to accessibility only a assertion, or is it one thing extra? What ought to guests and residents anticipate to see over the subsequent ten years?

By way of lots of of conversations with stakeholders and survey responses (2,200 residents and 670 customer surveys), a throughline was established that our group celebrates and desires to help turning into an accessible vacation spot. It’s an underlying foundation for what we imagine in Fort Wayne and our purpose is to make it the underlying foundation for all we do. Whereas Accessibility serves as its personal advice and the way we will remodel our group to be a globally acknowledged accessible vacation spot, accessibility can also be weaved into the opposite 19 suggestions from together with people with lived experiences in each dialog to together with common design ideas into any merchandise we glance to develop or develop. Our dedication to accessibility is greater than only a assertion it’s one thing a lot of our group organizations and nonprofits like AWS Basis and Turnstone work in direction of on daily basis, and it’s one thing we’re already excelling in with locations like Promenade Park and internet hosting worldwide adaptive sport competitions.

Over the subsequent ten years, guests and residents can anticipate to see extra adaptive sports activities competitions, extra universally designed amenities and renovations, and extra of a concerted and collaborative effort in progressing in direction of being an accessible vacation spot. We aren’t striving for perfection, however we’re working in direction of progress, consciousness, and progress in being a spot the place all talents can discover journey.

Though you’re simply starting to embark on this ten-year journey, have there been any achievements so far?

Constant progress is vital, and we’re already seeing companions locally wrap their arms round figuring out alternatives to be extra accessible and promote their accessibility. At Go to Fort Wayne, we’ve got down to embody extra Accessibility data on our web site and accumulate data from our companions on their amenities. We even have shining examples in our group that even earlier than the Tourism Grasp Plan’s launch included or have been constructed with Common Design ideas, together with Promenade Park, the Fort Wayne Worldwide Airport, and different organizations which are presently planning renovations and searching for enter from the group and incorporating alternatives to make sure our constructed atmosphere is extra accessible. 

Go to Fort Wayne can also be trying to help a community-wide evaluation within the subsequent yr or so to determine accessibility alternatives and description an motion plan and particular methods to attain our objectives. 

How can the leaders of different vacation spot advertising and marketing organizations work to make accessibility a precedence of their communities? What can they be taught out of your expertise?

It may be daunting to determine the place to speculate valuable sources like money and time, however we predict a very powerful issue is to only begin! Begin small, begin with gathering data in your vacation spot, begin with studying, and begin with a dialog with somebody with a lived expertise. It’s extra about eager to make progress than worrying about being good.

Fort Wayne has been lucky that accessibility has been on the core of our group for a really very long time due to the numerous great non-profit organizations supporting resident wants. Nevertheless, what different communities can be taught from our expertise is to faucet into these sources in your yard, faucet into the people with lived expertise, and faucet into the organizations that additionally wish to be extra accessible – to assume otherwise and to work collectively!

Ultimate Ideas

Too typically, native governments and vacation spot advertising and marketing organizations draw back from discussing accessibility or tackling what are thought-about to be complicated tasks, however that’s not the strategy in Fort Wayne. Go to Fort Wayne and native companies perceive clearly the significance and alternative in accessible growth. Though there may be a lot work obligatory to attain full accessibility, Go to Fort Wayne’s and Jessa’s dedication to “simply begin” is an inspiring instance that different locations ought to observe.