Here’s a question for your thinking! Rothbury in Northumberland is just over a dozen miles away from The Achiever and BizVision offices, and as you will have seen, has been the focus this last week of intense police and media activity over the alleged gunman Raoul Moat. We’ve watched the story unfold around us and watched as the world has also followed the story.

Rothbury is a pretty town set in pretty countryside and great for walking, Harvey, our dog.

I was in Rothbury, with Harvey, this last Sunday amidst all the TV satellite vans and crews and thinking about the economic impact this story may have on the town, after all tourism and hospitality is one of our core activities here at BizVision.  I chatted to a couple of the locals who had been giving interviews on Sky and BBC, watched as crews and photographers filmed the very spot where Raoul pulled the trigger and I noticed how quiet the town was, even for a Sunday morning.

It is peak tourism season in Rothbury and it needs to make it money in these short few months of summer. I guess all the police and media will have spent money but accommodation providers were telling tales of cancellations by holidaymakers for the coming weeks.

Now the marketing or business dilemma. Does Rothbury try and keep it all quiet, hope the story will go away or does it go to the other end and capitalize on its media  focus with almost a “tour of where it happened”. My feeling is that it will all NOT die down for  a long time and there will be enquiries, anniversaries and the like and that Rothbury has got to live with it. But should it take commercial advantage? What do you think?