Published: May 11, 2008 09:17 pm            

Tazewell officials hope high gas prices will drive tourists to local attractions

TAZEWELL, Va. — Tazewell County officials are hoping that high gas prices will help to drive more tourists to regional attractions.

Tourism is a growing industry for Tazewell County, having already generated more than $38,890,075 in revenue last year, Margie Douglass, the county’s Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator, said.

As part of National Tourism Week, which begins Sunday and continues through May 18, Douglas said officials are working to promote local attractions such as the Historic Crab Orchard Museum, the Virginia Coal Heritage Trail and Wilderness Road Trail, and the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine.

“I feel sure that we are going to see more people vacationing closer to home, and taking advantage of the museums and trails we have,” Douglass said. “The tourism season is getting geared up at this point. We will start seeing more people coming to the visitors center.”

With gas prices still soaring, Douglass said many visitors will be looking for regional one-day attractions.

“That is one of the things we are working on is designing trails that could be one-day trips where they could go and say visit the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine, and then Crab Orchard Museum and then they go could to Richlands and visit the coal miner’s museum, or they may want to go to Burke’s Garden to bike or go to Cavitt’s Creek and go fishing. They can also have a picnic there. They have a kid’s playground there. There are all kinds of activities they can have in those areas.”

By visiting regional attractions, Douglas said residents can discover many treasures in their own backyard for the first time.

“There is a lot to see,” Douglas said. “There is all kinds of museums and things in the area that I think we overlook simply because we’ve always had the luxury of driving or flying to other locations. But now we are tightening our belts. I think we will discover our area, our history and our heritage.”

Douglas said tourism is a $17.7 billion industry in Virginia, supporting 208,000 jobs and generating $1.2 billion in state and local taxes.

Douglas Virginia is one of the top states in America for tourism. According to data from the Travel Industry of America, Douglas said domestic travel expenditures were directly responsible for generating more than 208,000 jobs in Virginia in 2006 —and those jobs paid nearly $4.3 billion in payroll. On average, every dollar spent by domestic travelers produced 24 cents in payroll income for Virginia residents in 2006, Douglas said.

“Tourism contributes every day to the quality of life in Virginia,” Alisa Bailey, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, said in a press release. “The state taxes alone generated by tourism would be enough to pay for the salaries and benefits of more than 11,500 new state police officers, pave 1,900 miles of road — the distance from Virginia Beach to Denver, Colorado or fund the education of over 80,000 Virginia students.”

Douglas said the recent emphasis of “going green” is another good reason to visit Tazewell County.

“Tazewell County is such a naturally beautiful place,” Douglas said. “We have been green for ages. It’s not just a fad for us. I think people who enjoy ecotourism and agritourism will have a wonderful time in Tazewell County.”

– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

        

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