NATCHEZ &045;&045; Organizers behind a tourism study by consultant Stu Barash have a number of goals for the results &045;&045; but perhaps most important is that the community unite in its tourism efforts.

&uot;It takes everyone working together,&uot; said Rene Adams, director of marketing for Dunleith. &uot;We need the city administration to take a serious lead.&uot;

Everyone needs to be involved in working to boost tourism &045;&045; city government and the private sector, Adams said.

&uot;The whole purpose when we started was to get everybody together,&uot; she said of the chamber’s tourism council, which spearheaded efforts to get Barash to do the study.

Getting everyone together was the first hurdle.

The community’s tourism efforts had been somewhat disjointed, with some boards not meeting for several years and other private groups spinning off and meeting separately.

Once the study results are released, Adams said the chamber’s tourism council hopes the city will take the lead on the tourism effort, bringing together the various groups into one unified committee.

The chamber group includes representatives from all areas &045;&045; restaurants, hotels, retail. But &uot;we needed to get some direction,&uot; Adams said.

That’s why the group looked to someone from outside to help, she said.

&uot;We need somebody with some blood to come in here and get excited,&uot; she said.

Overall, though, Adams said she hopes the study leads to a unified effort and a partnership between the city and the private entities involved in tourism.

&uot;A partnership is a must for a successful revitalization of the tourism industry,&uot; she said.

With such a firm foundation &045;&045; tourism began in large part with the first Pilgrimage in the 1930s &045;&045; Adams is optimistic.

&uot;I know how hard the ladies of the garden club worked, with what they did and how they preserved this city,&uot; Adams said. &uot;They’re the people who laid the foundation. There have been so many people who preceded our effort, and now we’re at a standstill.&uot;