Letter to the Editor,
This is in response to C.Y. Dumire’s letter published in the August 19th edition of the Parsons Advocate.
I believe C.Y. Dumire and I share the same passion for promoting Tucker County as a tourism destination.
During the past 10 years, the Tucker County Convention and Visitors Bureau has supported Five River Campgrounds with the advertising of Pickin’ in Parsons Bluegrass Festival. Our office has written and administered an annual Matching Advertising Partnership Program (MAPP) grant through the West Virginia Division of Tourism for the Pickin’ in Parsons Bluegrass Festival.
With the bureau’s assistance, Five River Campground has received $100,000 ($10,000 annually) from MAPP to use for advertising the Pickin’ in Parsons Bluegrass Festival. The CVB’s logo and contact information is prominently featured on all festival advertising, encouraging potential visitors to log-on to www.CanaanValley.org or call the bureau’s office for additional information. Our staff fields phone calls for months leading up to the bluegrass festival, assisting visitors with finding lodging and activities to see and do in the area. The new Visitors Guide is on site at the campground for campers and festival goers to pick up. The CVB also placed a full page advertisement in the festival program.
The CVB may not have had its “feet on the ground” during the festival but we stand behind them year after year helping to spread the word and grow the festival. I believe Five River Campground owners, Joyce and John Bowers, will be the first to agree that the CVB has and continues to support the festival.
The Tucker County Convention and Visitors Bureau spends more than 80% of its budget on marketing the area as a four season destination. We welcome the opportunity to discuss with the community some of the exciting new advertising and marketing initiatives the bureau has planned for the 2016 year. We are always looking for new ways to promote the county as a tourism destination. Please feel free to contact us with any ideas you may have!
Sincerely,
Jessica Scowcroft
Executive Director
Tucker County Convention and Visitors Bureau
