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

DATE: FRIDAY, May 7, 1993                   TAG: 9305070498
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

PROMOTION STARTS AT HOME, TOURISM GROUP TOLD

Before tourism developers can start selling the New River Valley to visitors, they have to sell the excitement of its attractions to people already living here.

That message came across repeatedly Thursday in a proposed tourism marketing plan for the region submitted by four graduate students in Virginia Tech's class on hospitality strategy and policy.

The students found that many of the region's gasoline station attendants were unable to tell travelers what attractions were available, much less give directions.

Their survey also indicated that only about half the motel employees in the valley could direct visitors to historic places, state park facilities or other points of interest.

Reuben Charles II, Kimberle Badinelli, Gyril Horn and Fang Chi Lee, students in Ken McCleary's class at Tech, have spent more than three months on the study at the request of New River Valley HOSTS, a regional tourism organization.

The students outlined their proposed plan at a HOSTS meeting at the Best Western Inn.

HOSTS is involved in an 18-month program for state accreditation as a tourism-ready region, and a marketing plan is one of the requirements.

John Sankey, chairman of the HOSTS promotions committee, said the student recommendations are not the actual plan.

"It is strictly input to what will ultimately be our tourism marketing plan," he said. "I'm sure that we will do a lot of massaging and changing and restructuring, but I'm certain this will be a good starting point."

The plan uses New River as its focal point and recommends marketing the valley to visitors interested in water sports, outdoor activities and scenic attractions related to the river, and historic places in the valley.

A necessary first step is to educate employees at travelers' stops on what the region's attractions are and how to reach them, the study found. Suggestions for doing this ranged from workshops to newsletters.

"I think that's our biggest problem," Badinelli said. "We haven't told everybody what we have."

by CNB