Mecklenburg localities garner $25,000 to promote tourism By Alina Moody The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) DMO WanderLove Recovery Grant Program—a new grant made available to Virginia’s Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) across the Commonwealth that have been heavily impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic to fund recovering marketing initiatives— gifted a $10,000 grant to both the Clarksville Lake Country Chamber of Commerce and the Mecklenburg County Tourism board. The Town of South Hill was also awarded a $5,000 grant through the same program. The Clarksville Chamber of Commerce stated that they will be using their $10,000 grant to continue driving people to the area. They began implementing the WanderLove logo into their commercials that started airing in early July in the Raleigh and Norfolk areas, and they have also begun placing ads in magazines, digital and local media outlets. Mecklenburg County Tourism likewise said that their plan for using the funds is to promote road trips to Mecklenburg. They also began incorporating the WanderLove Campaign designed to promote outdoor recreation and hidden gems in
rural small town America while adding a few fun twists like a digital treasure hunt centered around all of the LoveWorks signs across the county. The goal of the treasure hunt was be to collect all 4 “treasures” and register for the chance to win a complimentary “MoreMeck” weekend for two, including lodging, and activity and dining. Corrine Garrity was the winner of the treasure hunt, and came to Mecklenburg County the weekend of August 15 to enjoy her winnings. A post congratulating her can be found on the “Visit Mecklenburg County VA” Facebook page. The South Hill Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Shannon Lambert said that the funds provided through the Wanderlove program will go to promoting tourism and commerce in the South Hill region. She stated, “Our businesses are the lifeblood of commerce in our community, and the South Hill Chamber of Commerce is committed to our mission of providing leadership for regional business development, and positively influencing the quality of life for our community.” Mecklenburg County Tourism, the Clarksville Chamber, the Town of South Hill, Chase City towns & chamber offices have all joined together to invest
8 | DISCOVER Mecklenburg | Fall 2020
in the new everWandr program. Tourists are now able to pre-plan their trip to the county by accessing the Plan you Trip widget from the Clarksville Chamber’s website. The Clarksville Chamber of Commerce has additionally begun to place WanderLove postcards through town for visitors to fill out and tell them about their trip. Tourists will be able to turn in postcards at the drop boxes and will be registered to win $200 in Chamber cash which will be given away at their Holiday Open House in November. There will also be a photo booth set up at future events so people can take pictures and share them through social media. Tina Morgan, Mecklenburg County Tourism Coordinator relayed, “This opportunity comes at a time when the tourism industry is having to be very creative. Travel research shows that people are more willing to take road trips and explore small town America than to travel far and abroad to big cities. That is the perfect opportunity for Mecklenburg County. Not only are we an ideal outdoor recreation destination, we have so much to offer in our small towns and I am so excited to launch this campaign to help us get discovered in new and exciting ways.”