RSS
|
|
Walton Ferrell arrived at the Halifax County Visitors Center at the Chamber of Commerce building around 10 a.m. and received a brief overview of the county from Eco-Heritage Manager Christina Gordon and County Tourism Director Lori Medlin.
He then viewed the site of the future visitors center on Premier Boulevard, as well as the future home of the Carolina Crossroads Entertainment & Music District.
He traveled to Scotland Neck to visit the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Preserve, which is scheduled to open to the public in June, had a lunch of beef tips at Frazier's Restaurant, and took a quick tour of Weldon and the aqueduct area. He wrapped up the whirlwind visit with a brief tour of the Roanoke Canal Museum.
Ferrell said he was highly impressed with all the sights he visited and saw a strong potential for each site to work in tandem and make Halifax County a strong destination point. He was also impressed with the county's effort to stay connected with its past.
In fact, Ferrell, the former media officer for the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., noted that North Carolina as a whole has worked to keep a strong, diverse economy when faced with hardship. “North Carolina is not taking it on the chin,” he said, adding many towns have instead embraced tourism as a viable alternative to lost industry.
Gordon, who also manages the Roanoke Valley Canal Museum and joined Ferrell on his day-long adventure, agreed wholeheartedly. Halifax County did not just sit back after losing 5,000 jobs in 1999, but instead worked to recruit new industry and attractions.
Of the new recruits, the one that has undeniably generated the most excitement and publicity is the new Carolina Crossroads Entertainment & Music District and The Randy Parton Theater, which is scheduled to open in May 2007.
“The Carolina Crossroads Music & Entertainment District will be the catalyst no doubt about it,” Ferrell said. “It's an attraction that will draw thousands of people and will kick-start the economy.”
He noted the venue will provide scores of new entrepreneurial opportunities for enterprising people of all ages and education levels. Any high school graduate could purchase a motor coach and start doing tours of the region. Restaurants, bed and breakfasts, inns and other amenities will also be necessary once everything comes together.
Ferrell's job as publicity director is to bring in media from all over the world to write about the area's new attractions, and he said that effort is already under way.
He noted that American country music is very popular in Europe and Canada, and many of the country music fans are also interested in the other activities Halifax has to offer such as fishing, hiking and family-centered activities.
A family could stop in the county, take the kids to the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center or to another venue before catching a concert at night, he said.
His department has been working with the state tourism department to bring in tour operators and media from those areas, as well as throughout the United States, to promote the county.
He also pointed out that 36 percent of North Carolina's tourism comes from inside the state.
With mountains in one direction, beaches and other activities in the next, in-state tourism is an “easy sell,” he said.
The key is to encourage vacationers from North Carolina and all across the country to take advantage of every moment of their trip, and not just focus on the ultimate destination.
Comments