While the White House and Congress work to figure out a bailout plan for the automotive industry, the Natchez area may well need a bailout of its own — for the tourism industry.

But this bailout likely won’t require billions of taxpayer dollars. No, this bailout is one that doesn’t cost much at all, only a little pride, perhaps, maybe a little humility and lots of communication.

Last week, what is arguably the most positive, most “let’s just work together” group of tourism leaders in the city met and the conversation quickly turned grim.

The Tourism Advisory Council is a committee of the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce.

The story its members told wasn’t a pretty one. A traditionally slow time of year has become a dead time of the year, several hotel and B&B managers said.

As one warned of the likelihood of significant layoffs in the weeks ahead, the others mostly just nodded their heads in somber agreement.

The group’s members agreed on several things.

Something must be done.

It must be done together in concert with one another.

And it must be done fast, if we hope to save some jobs.

The advisory council is a mix of both veteran Natchez tourism leaders and newcomers. That’s a great thing because the newcomers have the luxury of not knowing — and not caring — about issues from the past, which may cloud their judgment otherwise.

But the chamber’s advisory council doesn’t really know what’s going on with the city’s marketing efforts, the members collectively said.

No one has seen a detailed marketing plan so they don’t know what’s being done to help promote the area and subsequently their livelihoods.

These folk appear to be from Missouri, the Show Me State, because they don’t just want to be told that tourism marketing is under way; they want to see the specifics and be a part of the effort. That’s commendable because mobilizing more people in the cause can only help.

Tourism leaders joined forces in a positive way just after Hurricane Katrina to quickly get the word out that Natchez wasn’t severely damaged and was open for business. That’s the kind of effort on marketing that we need again.

But, at least officially, the plan must come from the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission (formerly known as the Convention and Visitor Bureau).

Of course complicating matters a bit is that the NCPC also has an advisory committee, legislatively created to provide advice on how to spend the money from the relatively new $2 hotel tax.

So effectively you have three groups theoretically pulling and pushing in the same direction.

But at last week’s meeting, it was quickly apparent that even if they all have the same goals, they aren’t moving in concert with one another.

Much of that, it would seem, could be resolved by having everyone gather at the same table to discuss what’s needed and what’s being done.

Last week’s meeting seemed to be the first step toward that end, but much more work is needed to bring everyone together toward a common goal.

As one of the tourism advisory council members said: If we don’t do something soon, there won’t be any $2 tax being generated so it won’t matter how we’re marketing.

Just like with the auto industry, doing nothing doesn’t seem like a good option.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.