With Elkins' tourism industry growing, the city, the business community and recreation, hospitality and tourism professionals have been reaching out to visitors. Starting this weekend, they will have something new to hand out: a "Welcome to Elkins, W.Va." visitors packet designed to make each person's stay more enjoyable.
Developed by The Inter-Mountain Newspaper - with the cooperation from the local business community and guidance from local recreation, hospitality and tourism professionals - the visitors packets provide tourists with a handy one-piece informational packet that is both comprehensive and current. The packets will be available at the Randolph County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce and the Elkins Depot Welcome Center. Area hotels have also expressed an interest in the packets.
Don Smith, general manager of The Inter-Mountain, hopes the visitors packets can help welcome tourists, enhance their stay and aid the local economy by encouraging them to spend more time exploring all that Elkins has to offer. Inside the specially printed envelopes, tourists will find a map of Elkins, a dining guide for local restaurants, the newspaper's Regional Summer Recreation Guide, coupons from local businesses, a list of current events that is updated weekly, an "I Shop Locally" card promoting local businesses, and letter welcoming them to the community.
All of the publications, with the exception of the Elkins maps, should be familiar to readers of The Inter-Mountain. The newest edition of local businesses coupons will be distributed to readers in Friday's edition of The Inter-Mountain and included in the visitors packets. The coupons will also be provided to participants in this weekend's Mountain State Street Machines Car Show.
"As the number of tourists visiting our area has increased, we began to see a growing need for current information and a real opportunity to maximize the impact of tourism for local businesses," Smith said. "This has always been a tourism region and a lot of people have been working to provide quality tourism publications. Still, we saw a need for affordable publications that could be distributed in bulk and updated on a weekly basis."
The contents of the visitors packet was finalized after discussions with local tourism professionals. "The Inter-Mountain has traditionally printed many of these publications. Our dining guide has always been one of the most popular special publications. Readers wanted one for the house, one for work and one for the car, " Smith said. "We also met with many local tourism professionals and business leaders to get ideas, information and feedback. I can't say enough about the advice and guidance we received from the Downtown Merchants Association, Elkins/Randolph County Chamber of Commerce, the Randolph County Convention and Visitors Bureau and numerous business owners and educators. Everyone has been very supportive of the project."
The final piece of the packet - the envelope - was modeled after a packet distributed in Pittsburgh. Smith explained many cities across the country have invested in similar visitors packets, but that often times smaller communities can't afford the publications, or at least enough of the publications.
After studying the local need, Smith said, it became clear The Inter-Mountain was in a unique position to compile valuable tourism information, package it and distribute it to visitors centers. "We were already printing the publications and delivering them to our readers. We decided to print additional copies of our traditional publications, develop a few new publications and work out delivery plans for tourism centers."
"I don't want to make it sound too simple. The staff at The Inter-Mountain put a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources into this project. Editor Linda Howell Skidmore and the editorial staff compiled the stories and photos. Advertising Director Samantha Storch and her staff explained the marketing idea and sold the product to local businesses. Circulation Manager Jerry Ferguson and his staff and Print Services Director Joyce Becker and her department prepared and distributed the material," Smith said. "Those are obvious participants, but we can't forget the work Pressman Dave Ickes and his crew, along with I-T Director Sean Conrad, did in terms ensuring quality printed materials. Additionally, this is a new product line so Liz Tincher and the accounting staff had to figure out how to record, track and bill all the data.
"In terms of the big picture, The Inter-Mountain is just one player. Many other individuals, organizations and businesses have been worked to promote tourism in our region," Smith said. "I give all the credit in the world to our local business community, city and county government, entrepreneurs and volunteers in the area who are doing such great work."
Although The Inter-Mountain is printing and distributing the packages, Smith said the packet is only possible because local businesses have invested in advertising with the newspaper and in the special publications. "There is no charge for any of this information. It's totally funded by The Inter-Mountain and its advertisers and readers. We all hope this information will encourage visitors, and local residents, to support businesses in the Elkins region.
Currently, Elkins is the only city in The Inter-Mountain's coverage area to have the visitors packet but Smith hopes the newspaper will eventually be able to provide similar packets for other communities in the region.
The Inter-Mountain took the unusual step of getting approval from the West Virginia Division of Tourism for the recreation guides and the map. Those publications will be distributed at the eight West Virginia welcome centers around the state's border.
As for the complete visitors packet, The Inter-Mountain plans to distribute them locally year-round. Community organizations may place event flyers in the packet for $5 for every 100 packets. The flyer will be in the envelopes for a full week. For more information about distributing flyers in the welcome packet, call The Inter-Mountain at 304-636-2121.
Additionally, anyone wanting their added to the entertainment and attractions listing in The Inter-Mountain's coverage area should contact the newspaper at that same number. The listing will be updated in the package weekly. The ever-changing supplement will also be available to view and print at www.theintermountain.com under the entertainment listing.
