Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 5, 1993 TAG: 9305050205
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He predicted Tuesday that the plan to link a renovated Hotel Roanoke with other downtown attractions will be a major boost for tourism.
Speaking at a news conference focusing on the state's joint celebration of National Tourism Week and National Historic Preservation Week, Bowers said new signs on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Interstate 81 will help increase visitation even more.
Bowers said his recent tourism summit convinced him that there is broad support for cultivating Roanoke's strengths. He called the city heritage, especially the railroad, "one of the most unique and valuable draws that this city has."
Bowers said he does not agree with recent newspaper articles stating that Roanoke does not have a vision, especially when it comes to tourism development.
"We have a vision that encompasses all of our people. We have a vision whose scope will carry us into the next century," Bowers said.
Richard Wells, president of the Roanoke Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the Roanoke Valley has awakened to the possibilities of tourism in the past two year.
Promotion efforts are beginning to bear fruit, Wells said, with 1,600 reguests for visitor information and 600 telephone calls during the past few weeks alone.
Plans also were announced for a bus tour Saturday of historic resources in the Roanoke Valley between 1:30 and 4:30. The tour, which seats 35 on a first-come, first-serve basis, leaves Center in the Square and tours downtown, St. Andrews Catholic Church, Old First Baptist Church, St. John's Episcopal Church, Mountain View, Old Southwest, Norfolk-Southern Shops, Miniature Graceland and the Harshbarger Home.
by CNB