Nevada officials tout rural tourism development efforts

State tourism officials told lawmakers last week they're doing everything they can -- even cashing in on negative press accounts -- to ensure visitors keep coming to Nevada.

Bruce Bommarito, executive director of the state Tourism Commission, said a good example of the commission's efforts was its response to a magazine account that labeled the rural Northern Nevada town of Battle Mountain the "armpit of America."

"It's something that we were not too happy about initially," Bommarito told the Senate Finance Committee. But he said commission staffers worked with Battle Mountain residents to get a positive result.

"We convinced them that any fame is better than no fame," the state tourism chief said. He said now a highway billboard brags about the town's status and an annual "Festival in the Pit" event held in the town.

Bommarito said a major deodorant company even contributed $150,000 to the "pit" festival, which came up with new events such as a deodorant toss to replace the old-fashion egg toss.

"Being the armpit of America sometimes turns out to be something better," he said.

"Our mission is really simple," Bommarito said in describing the goal of the marketing efforts. "We want to generate dollars for the state."

The old mining town is in a high-desert area 218 miles northeast of Reno -- roughly midway between the Nevada-California border to the west and the Nevada-Utah border to the east. Interstate 80 traffic is an economic mainstay for the town, along with mining and ranching.

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