SALEM, Ohio — Groups winding their way west along the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky, will soon find themselves among the rolling hills of Indiana’s hometown, Corydon. This Harrison County destination should be on every group travel planner’s short list.
Corydon is where Indiana begins. With lush beauty, the first state capitol and Indiana’s only Civil War battlefield, Harrison County, Indiana is a multifaceted tourism destination.
While history created the tourism opportunity, the Harrison County Convention and Visitors Bureau is the reason groups are aware of the area. Harrison County is a familiar tour destination because of the group outreach that the local convention and visitors bureau has undertaken in the past few years.
“Harrison County Convention and Visitors Bureau really puts themselves in front of group travel planners and has created an awareness of their destination,” said Jennifer Ferguson of The Group Travel Family.
The area’s marketing strategy has extended to travel planner gatherings that include the Select Traveler Conference, the Small Market Meetings Conference and Boomers in Groups, as well as the American Bus Association Marketplace. Those group travel events have placed Harrison County in the minds of thousands of travel groups and have resulted in an increase in groups in the region.
“A great example of creating destination awareness to groups is the floor graphics the Harrison County CVB sponsored at Select Traveler Conference,” Ferguson said. Those floor graphics garnered visibility to the 400 delegates over the three-day conference and promoted Harrison County as a destination.
The Harrison County CVB’s dedication to group travel is especially evident on its website. Travel planners who visit www.thisisindiana.org will find a group travel page designed to make their jobs simple. The page lists all the area attractions and provides mileage charts and maps. The CVB also offers itinerary planning, step-on guides, FAM tours, site visits, welcome receptions, goody bags and even room block assistance for area hotels.
The Harrison County CVB group department is headed by Stacy Pirtle, director of sales and visitor services.
“Stacy knows what the travel planner needs to make the group happy, and she always delivers,” said Ferguson.
Sample itineraries developed by Harrison County include History and Heritage; Winery and Microbrewery; and Wine, Vines, Wheels and Deals. The CVB also designs special itineraries to meet the groups’ needs.
“Whether your group is looking for relaxation or rejuvenation, there’s no better place on earth than Harrison County,” Pirtle said.
You can learn more by contacting Pirtle at 888-738-2137 or stacyp@thisisindiana.org.
