C&VB director planning for future tourism opportunities
By DAVE GOSSETT, staff writerSTEUBENVILLE - The weather outside might be frightful, but for Beth Wood it's time to think tourists.
The executive director of the Steubenville Convention and Visitors Bureau is preparing to attend a series of tourism industry events during the winter months to entice visitors to the community later this year.
"I will be in Columbus starting Jan. 16 for the AAA Great Vacation Expo. We are working together with tourism folks from Harrison, Carroll and Columbiana counties to sell the advantages of our four counties. There will be literally hundreds of vendors and tourism bureaus at the Veterans Memorial building in Columbus, and a large crowd is expected to visit the Expo during the three-day event," explained Wood.
"This is a chance to appeal to people who are looking for vacation locations or traveling tours. By working together with the three other counties, we can offer a number of tourism ideas and sites in eastern Ohio that can be visited during one day or several days," added Wood.
"We may be seeing typical winter weather right now but this is traditionally the busiest time of the year for the tourism industry. We are starting in January and will continue through March helping travel businesses and private individuals plan for their vacations. We want to make as many people as possible aware of the advantages of our area," said Wood.
She also plans to attend a session of the Ohio Tourism Leadership Academy on Jan. 20 in Columbus.
"That session will explain how we can lobby our state legislators to encourage state support for the tourism industry. We now have 32 Ohio counties in the Ohio Appalachian organization, and I am planning on organizing a lobbying day on March 31 for representatives from all 32 counties to meet in Columbus to explain the benefits of tourism," said Wood. Following her trip to Columbus, Wood will return home for the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce Member to Member Trade Fair at the Fort Steuben Mall.
"That trade fair starts Jan. 22 and will continue through Jan. 24 and will again be a chance to show the tourism possibilities here in Jefferson County," noted Wood.
In February Wood will head to Pittsburgh for the annual Heartland Travel Showcase to be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
"This is one of the largest tour operators' shows in our region. This is a private event that brings together tour operator businesses that are always working a year ahead. So these operators will want to know what we can offer in 2010. But it is a very beneficial show to attend," commented Wood.
"We will be participating in two booths at that show. We are sharing the first booth with tourism representatives from Harrison, Carroll and Columbiana counties. And we are sharing the second booth with the Historic Fort Steuben to tout the benefits of visiting the fort," Wood said.
She also noted she plans to attend the Spotlight on Appalachia program set March 20-22 at the Colony Square Mall in Zanesville.
"The organizers of the Spotlight on Appalachia were so pleased with the results last year at the Fort Steuben Mall that they decided to schedule their future events at malls," said Wood.
"Tourism is so very important to our area. The study we received last year showed Jefferson County realized approximately $125 million in 2007 in direct revenue, indirect monies and tax dollars. We are at a unique location in Ohio with a number of tourism attractions to offer visitors to the city and the county," stated Wood.
"We are now planning and working to attract as many people to our community as possible," she added.
(Gossett can be contacted at dgossett@heraldstaronline.com.)
