STATE WILL GIVE SOME LOCALITIES INCREASED TOURISM PROMOTION

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 9, 1992                   TAG: 9201090449
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                LENGTH: Medium
STATE WILL GIVE SOME LOCALITIES INCREASED TOURISM PROMOTION
Twelve Virginia communities will be singled out later this year for special treatment by the state in advertising their tourist attractions.
Two communities each from six regions in Virginia will be accepted into the Virginia Tourism Accreditation Program for standout listings in state travel directories, news releases on their attractions, state aid on an advertising plan, recognition in state welcome centers and state attempts to steer media tours and travel writers their way.
John Strutner, with the state Tourism Development Group (formerly the Division of Tourism), outlined the program at a gathering Wednesday of representatives from Montgomery, Pulaski, Giles, Floyd, Wythe and Washington counties and the cities of Radford and Galax.
Applications will be taken during April 1-10, Strutner said, and an effort will be made to choose one community with more than 90,000 people and one with less from each region of the state.
"Based on our staff requirements, that's all we can handle right now," he said. "We want to make sure that the communities that are in this first round get our full attention."
By July 1993, or before, he said, there will be another opening for applications for the accreditation.
The program is similar to the state's certification program to prepare localities for seeking new industry. It is part of Gov. Douglas Wilder's rural development initiative announced in November in Williamsburg.
Strutner said localities are encouraged to get together and seek tourism accreditation on a regional basis. The Lenowisco Planning District - Lee, Wise and Scott counties and the city of Norton - is on its way to filing as a region, he said, and localities in the New River Valley are looking at the idea.
A region can offer more attractions, motels and other services than a single county, he said. This is one way the tourism accreditation program differs from industrial certification, which went to single counties.
Kitty Ward, public information director for the town of Wytheville, questioned whether the benefits of the program were worth the effort of meeting all the requirements.
Those include having a tourism promotion organization, visitor information and reception center, tourism analysis and improvement plan, program for existing tourist facilities, and providing brochures, events calendars, a community profile, slide and photo library, directory of attractions and services, and a comprehensive marketing plan on the community's tourism promotion.
Ward said it could take months of office work to meet those requirements when she could be out promoting her locality. "I need more carrots," she said.
"Well, the carrots may be forthcoming, but that's all we can put on the table now," Strutner said. "A lot of work's already been done. This program is not that difficult. It's not easy, but some of the components may already be in place."
This was the second of nine workshops on the program to be presented across the state.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB