NATCHEZ — Mayoral candidates answered a few questions from Natchez bed-and-breakfast owners Tuesday at a forum focused on bed and breakfasts and the city’s tourism industry.

The newly formed Natchez Bed-and-Breakfast Association hosted the forum in the Natchez City Council Chambers.

The candidates were asked how they would propose to strengthen the role of B&Bs in the city’s tourism market and what they would do differently to promote B&Bs on the city’s website and printed material.

Democrat Larry L. “Butch” Brown said he was not totally familiar with the city’s tourism website, but he said he believed one of the problems with marketing is that there are multiple websites that promote Natchez.

“We have to get a more unified way to represent tourism and (bed and breakfasts) and what they provide,” Brown said.

Brown also said he believed the Natchez B&B experience should be more unified and less of hassle for guests, which he said could be solved with better parking and other regulations.

Republican Bob Buie said he believes the best way to help strengthen the role of B&Bs and the tourism industry as a whole is to solve the city’s problems in general.

Buie said he believed the first step is to have strong leadership in place to improve city infrastructure and get the city’s crime problem under control.

Independent Bill Furlow said he believed the city currently has too many separate entities working independently to market Natchez tourism. He said the city needs a more collective and unified effort to market Natchez tourism that includes all the tourism attractions and entities.

“A high tide raises ships, and when more people come to Natchez, it’s good for everyone,” Furlow said. “What I believe is not occurring is our tour community working together in a strategic fashion to make more people come to Natchez.”

Democratic incumbent Jake Middleton said he think the city’s tourism website has some outdated things on it, but he said he believed the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau is trying to promote more and more attractions on its website.

Middleton said he believed communication and working together was key to promote Natchez, but he said B&B owners also have to promote their own businesses.

“If it’s your own business, it’s left up to you,” he said. “If I don’t get out there and sell my own product, I don’t expect anyone to buy it. We have to promote our own businesses.”