The Travelocity Roaming Gnome was in the Parkersburg area visiting sites as part of National Travel and Tourism Week. One stop was Blennerhassett Island, which opens today.
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — The Travelocity Gnome has been in Parkersburg the last couple of days visiting sites as part of National Travel and Tourism Week.
The Travelocity Roaming Gnome is a mascot the travel website uses to highlight many destinations. Through the work of the West Virginia Bureau of Tourism, the gnome came through Parkersburg over the weekend and Monday, said Mark Lewis, president of the Greater Parkersburg Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The gnome was at the Blennerhassett Hotel, Blennerhassett Island, the North End Tavern and Brewery and elsewhere locally tweeting and instagraming from each location, Lewis said.
Having the gnome come during National Travel and Tourism Week, which runs May 1-7, was just good timing, but illustrates the importance of tourism to the area, he said.
”This is the week dedicated to tourism and showing what it does in a community,” Lewis said. ”Travel supports one in nine American jobs, including 1,250 people right here in Wood County.”
The CVB is encouraging the public to learn more about area attractions and points of interest via an online scavenger hunt. The public may log on to GreaterParkersburg.com/NTW between now and May 7 to solve the mysterious identities of eight Wood County locations that have historic significance and serve as tourism entities.
Those who correctly identify all eight locations will be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to a local shop, tickets to Blennerhassett Island and tickets to an Actors Guild performance.
Answers must be emailed to the CVB office at [email protected] by 5 p.m. May 7 to be entered.
”This is the time of the year when we start to have a lot of people coming into the area,” Lewis said. ”We had a fun day with a little guy (gnome) who doesn’t say much,” he said.
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