The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Convention and Visitors Bureau is taking a new approach to tourism marketing, by taking the show on the road.
Today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Trotter Convention Center main level, the various attractions, lodging establishments and businesses from the Tuscaloosa area will be part of a free expo. Some of the elite features include a number of Tuscaloosa”s better hotels, their top attractions, a full-service salon, various retail and restaurants.
There will even be a couple of car dealerships featuring Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, and Mazda. As Tuscaloosa is the closest dealership for these lines, many people journey east for their vehicle purchases.
“We have always known that Tuscaloosa benefits from the Golden Triangle area, and under harsh economic times tourism has to think outside the box in tourism promotion,” Robert Ratliff, executive director of the Tuscaloosa CVB, said. “So today we are here to thank the people that come to Tuscaloosa and introduce ourselves to potential new visitors to our area.”
Tuscaloosa is seeing more Golden Triangle visitors than they have in the past. The CVB is unsure if people are traveling to Tuscaloosa instead of Birmingham or Tupelo, or if this is a new trend. Either way, they are thrilled at the prospect of incoming tourism dollars.
“We always tend to neglect what we have in our own backyard, so people travel somewhere else for that weekend getaway,” Ratliff said. “From Tuscaloosa, we often travel to Birmingham. Same holds true for the Golden Triangle.”
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