Craig County tourism marketing

New tourism initiative may help put Craig County on the map
By: Gwen Johnson
Posted: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 12:50 pm

New tourism initiative may help put Craig County on the map | Craig County, Va., Virginia, Virginia's Western Highlands, John Hull, Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission, tourism, tourism initiative, Alleghany, Bath, Highland County, City of Covington, Town of Clifton Forge, marketing partnership, Appalachian Regional Commission, marketing

John Hull from the Roanoake Valley Alleghany Regional Commission shows off the new logo for Virginia’s Western Highlands tourism initiative to Craig County residents Jan. 15. Photo by Gwen Johnson
There's a tourism initiative that will help put Craig County, Va., on the map.

Virginia’s Western Highlands regional marketing partnership has a lot to offer Craig County and the other three counties and two towns that are a part of the project.

The marketing website for local businesses is up and running at www.vawesternhighlands.com. Local elected leaders, businesses and residents believe it is something that Craig County needs.

John Hull, the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission’s regional economic resource planner, presented information on the tourism initiative to a group of Craig County citizens in a town hall meeting last week at the Court House.

Local businesses and organizations can add news/events to the website, Hull explained. in order to take advantage of regional electronic marketing at no cost by registering for a listing. In fact, a couple of local businesses can already be found on the site by going through www.vatc.org.

A website for Craig County is currently being developed. The site which utilizes content shared with the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s website www.vatc.org includes interactive Geographic Information Systems information available through Microsoft Live Search Maps and much more.

In 2006 Alleghany, Bath, Craig and Highland Counties along with the City of Covington and the Town of Clifton Forge joined together to form a regional tourism marketing partnership. They then submitted a planning grant to the Appalachian Regional Commission. With the help of the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission and a marketing/branding consultant, the region’s strengths and competitive advantages relating to tourism were mapped out.

It has been determined the region’s best draws/assets as far as tourism is concerned lie within its National Forests and the State Park systems. In these areas alone such opportunities as fishing, hunting, camping, kayaking, canoeing, hiking and wilderness adventure await visitors. Another drawing card is the fact that the entire area is more readily accessible to major metropolitan areas such as Northern Virginia and Richmond than some of its neighboring competitors via main artery interstate connections I-81 and I-95.

In naming the region, the steering committee quickly found that the most natural fit for the area was Virginia’s Western Highlands, a name describing the region by its topographic nature as well as its geographic location. An attractive logo was designed for the organization denoting the region’s natural beauty, scenic drives, and outdoor recreational possibilities.

While all of us are familiar with the tag line "Virginia is for Lovers," get used to something new and refreshing. The slogan "Your next adventure is just around the bend" has been chosen to accompany the Virginia’s Western Highlands new logo.

The regional marketing plan calls for $40,000 in annual marketing expenses earmarked for electronic marketing and print advertising, public relations and media development. Funding will most likely come from private and public funds, Hull said, and hopefully there will be some grant funding applied to specific initiatives.

Although requests for funding may be put on hold until the current economic crisis calms down, he said, electronic marketing activities will continue through the www.vawesternhighlands.com website in order to keep the business community up-to-date on the progress of the organization and its potential for marketing to tourists and visitors to the region.

For additional information either visit the website or contact Hull at jhull@rvarc.org or telephone (540) 343-4417. You may also want to visit the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission site at www.rvarc.org.

http://ourvalley.org/news.php?viewStory=3780