Tourism in Virginia

Patrick County Booth at National Folk Festival, November 2005. Image by L. Shelor

I spent the day yesterday on a field trip with Patrick County business people. We were invited by the Virginia Tourism Corporation to an orientation seminar to show us what the tourism division is doing to promote the state. There were some fascinating programs going on, some really to complicated to work with our limited means in this county but others were more appealing. We are fortunate in Patrick County to have an active Tourism Division director, who is working hard to put our county on the map. A growing awareness of the opportunities associated with tourism is finally dawning on our county government. After years of neglect, Southwestern Virginia is getting some attention in Richmond, and if we can work it right, we may be able to preserve some of the beauty and culture of these mountains. It's a goal, anyway.