THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 19, 1995 TAG: 9507180088
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
More than three dozen citizens braved sweltering heat Friday afternoon to see Gov. George Allen recognize Isle of Wight County as the sixth graduate of the Virginia Tourism Accreditation Program.
In an outdoor ceremony behind the Isle of Wight Visitors Center, Allen said the accreditation will help the county compete for a larger share of the state's largest industry: tourism.
``Tourism brought in $9.3 billion last year. It's an important industry in the commonwealth,'' Allen said. ``Virginia is one of the top 10 tourist destinations in the country.
``Isle of Wight County is one of only a half-dozen localities to have been accredited. That means the state recognizes Isle of Wight County, Windsor and Smithfield as outstanding places for tourists to visit.''
Created in 1992, the tourism accreditation program is designed to teach tourism officials and volunteers from localities statewide how to market the tourist attractions in their communities, said L. Meriwether German, community services manager of the state tourism division.
Over the past month, Allen has presented accreditation awards to tourism officials in Winchester, Bedford and Appomattox, and Nelson and Orange counties, German said. He is scheduled to make a presentation in Roanoke next week.
``Isle of Wight County has done a lot to get this recognition,'' Allen said.
Completing the accreditation program took nearly two years, county tourism director Diane Howard said. During that time, Howard and a group of volunteers conducted an intensive study of the county's tourism assets and developed and implemented a marketing plan to promote the area. The plan was approved by the state tourism division.
``Thank goodness it's finished. It's been a long, frustrating, rewarding two years,'' Howard said. ``We are very proud of this award.'' by CNB