Parkersburg, West Virginia -- The Greater Parkersburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with representatives and group tour operators from 12 states and Canada will converged in Milwaukee, Wisconsin March 7-9, for the annual Heartland Group Travel Showcase.
More than 300 tourism destinations hailing from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, plus Ontario, Canada vied for the attention of group tour operators as they looked-to-book bus groups throughout the Mid-West in 2008 and 2009.
Steve Nicely, Greater Parkersburg CVB president and CEO, said the bureau has attended the show for the past six years and believes it to be one the most beneficial travel/trade shows to attend.
Besides the Greater Parkersburg CVB, there were several tourism businesses from the area attending the 2008 show. Other local businesses attending include The Blennerhassett Hotel, Comfort Suites and Fenton Gift Shop. Marietta, Ohio was represented by the Marietta/Washington County CVB and Lafayette Hotel.
“By partnering for this show it made it cost effective for everyone to attend and more importantly it presents a more complete picture of our entire destination,” Nicely said. “This year we have expanded our group tour packet information to include new group friendly sites and activities throughout the entire region.”
As a result of attending the show Nicely said the bureau will not only gather leads for potential bus groups to the area – but will generate additional interest by meeting with new planners this year and directly booking tours.
For more information on the region’s tourism industry visit www.greaterparkersburg.com
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Posted on: March 10, 2008
