The Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitors Bureau celebrated National Tourism Week Tuesday, May 8th, 2023. (Kevin Coleman also works in that industry.)
The annual banquet for the tourism community included five awards for outstanding contributions in tourism, and announcements of tourism grants.
Melody Young, director of the bureau, said they had $85,000 of requests for their Promotional Assistance Grant, but could give out only $20,000. She said the large number of grant requests this year is because of all the new local events - which is great for tourism, especially on weekends.
Young also mentioned the annual value of tourism, when you count everything that supports it: $212,000,000 in Ross County. And, that will only increase with the World Heritage inscription for the Hopewell earthworks.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau also gave out five annual awards for outstanding contributions in tourism. Young said they surprised David Polk, who is a great tourism booster, with the Grand Pineapple award.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom or Kevin Coleman