Are plans to transform Elk Grove into a tourist destination realistic or delusional? Gemini has an answer

A recent visit was paid to the Instagram page of Explore Elk Grove yesterday. Not surprisingly, Elk Grove News was blocked.

The best we could surmise is that the blocking was due to a February story questioning whether Explore Elk Grove's promotion of the city as a spring break destination was a cheeky marketing ploy. Based on our blockage, they were serious about promoting Elk Grove as an alternative to party-centric and recreational destinations for American youth. After all, aside from the 10 p.m. Old Town curfew, the spring break revellers could flood Bob's Bar and Elk Grove Boulevard with drinks in hand until 2 a.m.

While Elk Grove News has long questioned the efforts started by former Elk Grove Mayor Gary Davis to Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen's to make the city a tourist destination, we decided to run a test using Google's Gemini AI (not A1, as in the steak sauce as U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the burgeoning technology) to see what their analysis provided.

Below is the question Gemini was asked. It was important to note that the question remained objective; the analysis was instructed to omit information from the city of Elk Grove and Explore Elk Grove, both of which provide subjective information.

Here is the Gemini inquiry: 

Conduct a thorough analysis, excluding information from the city of Elk Grove and the trade group Explore Elk Grove, using tourist statistics, travel trends, and information about what sort of places people like to spend a getaway vacation in northern California. Then, determine if Elk Grove, California, is a likely place where people would go for a weekend getaway, a week-long vacation, or spring break. Determine if efforts by Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen to transform Elk Grove into a tourist destination through the efforts of the city of Elk Grove and Explore Elk Grove are realistic.

The question was answered in the graphic at the top of the page. 

Read the entire report here and the infographic report here. 

Given that Explore Elk Grove is not funded by taxpayers, if for no other reason than to keep themselves in a job, they'll continue to promote the city as a spring break destination or weekend getaway with the money collected by the occupancy tax. We just hope they continue their cheeky promotions!

The question for Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen is how much of the taxpayers' money will be used to chase a fantasy? We suggest that the mayor and her city council focus on finding solutions to traffic, property crime, and infrastructure issues, rather than wasting taxpayer money by trying to lure tourists away from Napa, Yosemite, or the coast. 

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