West Piedmont Planning District Commission staff had the pleasure of attending the Patrick County Tourism Summit on Monday, April 8th, at Fairy Stone State Park. Tourism partners and businesses networked with each other while hearing information and updates in the tourism industry, regionally and statewide.
Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Cooperation (VTC), along with Kaylen Hunter, Senior Destination Development Manager for VTC, provided an overview of VTC services that include grants and several marketing assistance opportunities to help tourism-related businesses/events be successful. They expressed the importance of investing in tourism.
The main speaker for the summit was Brian Williams, the Virginia Program Manager for the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA), who shared information about the organization’s programs and how they aim to protect and promote the Dan River Basin through education, recreation, and stewardship.
The event also included presentations from various other organizations such as Fairy Stone State Park, Patrick County Tourism, Friends of Southwest Virginia, Blue Ridge Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway Association, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Longwood Small Business Development Center, and the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce.
Additionally, the WPPDC discussed our partnership with Patrick County, along with the Life in SOVA and Grown in SOVA programs, which aim to promote and enhance regional tourism.
We would like to thank Visit Patrick County for organizing this informative event and extend our gratitude to Reynolds Homestead for catering and Fairy Stone State Park for hosting us in the beautiful Fayerdale Hall.