ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, July 30, 1996 TAG: 9607300094
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER RADFORD
VISIT VIRGINIA, developed by Virginia Tech, offers tourism companies a new place to advertise.
Virginia Tech specialists are providing an on-line advertising outlet for tourism businesses, but it's still garbage in, garbage out.
"Quite frankly, there's a lot of junk out there," Douglas McAlister, executive director of public service programs at Tech, told the economic development and tourism committees of the Commission on the Future of Southwest Virginia at Radford University on Monday.
He said businesses should take advantage of the Tech expertise to put their best image forward on computer programs, such as VISIT Virginia (Visitor Information System for the Interactive Traveler), which is available free to tourist attractions on which travelers are seeking information.
"This is a gift to the commonwealth," said Andy Honaker, an economic development specialist at Tech. But the message has not reached many of those in the computer communications industry.
"I was unaware of y'all's project. Nobody's told us yet," said Bob Dix, who operates an Internet access provider for Smyth County.
Others at the meeting complained that much of the information on VISIT is obsolete, listing such things as businesses that have closed.
"I could employ 25,000 students full time around the clock, and there is no way we could keep up with the changes," Honaker said. Recent changes in telephone area codes and business addresses show the need to keep information current, he said.
"Things are changing," said Charlotte Reed, another economic development specialist, and it is important to understand technologies such as this one. The state has now asked the Tech project to do a similar undertaking for potential industrial sites in localities as well.
"In three years, the Internet is going to look totally different," Honaker said.
Jerry Fousse, representing the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, said a web-site training session for those interested in using tools such as the VISIT project will be scheduled in Wytheville in mid-August. But potential users need to inventory their assets first.
Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, launched the Commission on the Future of Southwest Virginia a year ago with about 170 members from across the 9th Congressional District. He said information from committee meetings would be presented to the full commission in September to develop a strategic plan for the region, which stretches from the state line east to the Salem city limits.
With population changes leaving the region with less state and federal legislative representation, Boucher said, it is important for the region to speak with one voice.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 linesby CNB