Local business owners, government officials and community insiders attended the Logan County Visitors Bureau’s annual breakfast on Tuesday, May 14, at Cranberry Resort in Huntsville. The event concluded with insights from their guest speaker, Sarah Wickham, state tourism director. (EXAMINER PHOTO | SHARYN KOPF)
Travelers are coming to Ohio, and Logan County is ready to greet them as we head into warmer weather.
That message rang out during the Logan County Visitors Bureau’s (LCVB) annual breakfast on Tuesday, May 14, at the Cranberry Resort in Huntsville. Anna Louden, LCVB director, updated attendees on all the area has to offer.
From the annual Pineapple Palooza in downtown Bellefontaine on Friday, June 7, to West Liberty’s Labor Day Festival, there’s plenty to draw people here over the summer months.
“Our goal is to show what the visitors bureau has accomplished and to get people motivated and excited about tourism in Logan County,” Louden added later.
The bureau invited Sarah Wickham, chief communications and marketing officer and state tourism director with the Ohio Department of Development, as their guest speaker. She shared some vital statistics about the “big business” of tourism:
- 90 percent of Ohio visitors would recommend the state to friends and family.
- 90 percent of overnight guests expressed satisfaction with their experience.
- 83 percent of visitors intend to return in the next 12 months.
- 54 percent of travelers come to Ohio to visit friends and family, though most stay at a campground or in a hotel or rental while here.
- 56 percent of respondents said they plan to spend the same amount of money this summer compared to last year, with another 30 percent intending to spend more.
Wickham suggested three tactics moving forward: educate travelers on what Ohio has to offer, expose people to repeated messages, and create an emotional connection to the variety and depth of experiences visitors can find here.
“We want to help people understand the larger context of what we’re doing to market the state,” Wickham commented. “The more coordinated and aligned we can be in messaging, the more impactful we’ll all be.”
To find out more—and order your free Ohio travel guide, which is organized regionally—visit Ohio.org or follow “Ohio, The Heart of It All” on social media.
Information about local travel news and events can be found at experiencelogancounty.com or by going to the LCVB’s Facebook or Instagram page.
Finally, Louden said this year’s annual tourism week will take place later this summer, when children are out of school and can participate in the numerous activities. Follow the bureau on social media to stay up-to-date.