Chamber News

Tom Bishop Speaks Strongly For the Tourism Economy

Tom Bishop, Executive Director of the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce has spoken out recently about the importance of the Tourism Economy in Patrick County, VA

First of all- The chamber is a very strong supporter of the Tourism industry in our County · It is a part of what we do, day by day · Advertising and promoting our events, celebrations, places of lodging, restaurants, attractions, things to do list · Meeting and greeting visitors · Receiving requests for information. Mailing out responses. Emailing responses. Keeping our web site fresh and up to date for their viewing Second, we show up for many festivals with an information table. · With county brochures, maps, tourist guides, and many helps for visitors · We talk to people, and help guide them, give out directions and encourage them to return Third, we promote our chamber members continually. 30-40% of our members are serving the visitors in the Tourism industry. They include: Campgrounds Gift Shops Craft shops Farm Markets Golf Clubs State Parks, National Park Entertainment-Star Theatre, Corn maze, Primland hunting Rental cabins Bed and breakfast locations Restaurants Real Estate offices Orchards and fruit markets Convenient stores, and plant stores Historical sites, such as The Homestead, The Hollow History Center, the Historical Museum in Stuart, The Wolf Creek Cherokee Indian museum, Laurel Hill ] Music events, such as the Patrick County Music Assoc., Dominion Valley Park, Floydfest park, Patrick County Fair-Rotary, Ruritan Clubs, such as Meadows of Dan, Woolwine and Claudville Festivals – by churches, civic clubs and other organizations. Parks – DeHart Park, Dan River Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Fairystone Park Resort businesses Tourism Industry is big business in our county, as you can see from this list. As Tom Rose (our Economic Development Director) recently said, we are in a unique position to serve this industry with our: · Scenic beauty · Blue Ridge Parkway · Agriculture, farms and orchards · Geographic position – Mountains and piedmont · Closeness to cities such as Greensboro and Winston-Salem, Martinsville, Roanoke · Music heritage · Artistic heritage-craftsmanship So the Chamber of Commerce focuses on the Tourism industry heavily. · We operate the Visitor Centers-Keep them well stocked with literature and promotional materials. · Our role continues in 2008 at the same level as prior years and possibly even greater. · I spend 1-2 days a week just working the Visitor Centers. My assistant spends a lot of time on the phone and preparing visitor packets, and meeting people from out of town and assisting them With the changes in the Tourism budget allocation in our County Government in the 2008-2009 budget period (essentially a significant reduction) – Our role is even more important. Beyond me and a part time assistant, we rely heavily on volunteers. The churches, civic clubs, government agencies and many organizations play a tremendous role in Tourism. They put on special events, music shows, fairs, festivals (Granted they are fund raisers.) But they bring in people from outside our County For example: · The Patrick County Music Association monthly jamboree brings in, approximately 2000 people per month. · The Meadows of Dan Ruritan Club with their pancake festival brings in 7000-8000 people 2 X’s per year in October. Also, we have a major Tourism business development underway on Busted Rock Road, namely Primland’s lodge, restaurant, health spa, and observatory right beside their new golf course. This is a multi-million $ project that will have major impact in years to come. Opening is expected in April, 2009. This is a Tourism attraction of major proportions. It is on a scale that most of us have never imagined. It will be world class with likely a 5 star rating. In saying all of this, Tourism plays a very important role in our County economy! ! ! The Tourism Advisory Council, provides advice and council to our County Government as to how to spend their precious advertising monies. We have representatives from the following organizations: · Musician- Ms. Leet · Artisan – Ms. Shelor · Arts and Crafts – Ms. Gardner · Convenient Store, Restaurant and Music event – State Line Grocery- Mr. Norman · Lodging and Farm – Ms. Hoback · Farm Market – Ms. Puckett · Real Estate – Ms. Stirewalt · Chamber – Myself · County Economic Development- Tom Rose and his assistant Wilma Pendleton · County Board of Supervisors – Karl Weiss A lot of volunteers here, taking time away from their business and giving it to Tourism planning. · One of the accomplishments is to develop a data base of lodging, attractions, and events. A reference guide, if you will, to help our Tourism businesses. · Another thing we recently did was to approve the spending plan for magazine advertisements that the county budget will pay for: Virginia Travel Guide, The Blue Ridge Parkway Guide and other such magazines. · With the help of the Virginia Tourism Corp. we have developed a Strategic Plan for Patrick County Tourism. Each member is very proud of what this says about our thoughts of the future of Tourism. We must plan and think ahead on this matter. It is very critical. I am personally glad to be a part of this committee and give input to the direction and Tourism goals. Blue Ridge Heritage Inc. (Rocky Knob Project) I attend these meetings now as a participant in the discussions. The intent is to develop another Tourism Attraction on the Blue Ridge Mountain in either Patrick or Floyd County. The outcome is yet to be determined. An important study is now underway and will provide some very interesting input from Visitors to our 2 counties. I am delighted to serve on this committee. The outcome will definitely boost the Tourism economy in Floyd and Patrick Counties. This is just another way I can participate in the Tourism role.