Passers-by photograph snowmen Monday evening at the Lee Street triangle as part of the Travel South Showcase Winter Carnival. Ten tons of snow were brought in by Winterplace Ski Resort in Beckley. The carnival was meant to give travel industry professionals “a taste of Downtown,” according to Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau President Alisa Bailey.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The tourism industry “isn’t an instant gratification business,” said one destination representative at Monday’s Travel South Showcase marketplace.
“It takes several years to see a turnaround, because planning group tours is kind of like working retail,” said Anne Ross, of Morristown Area Convention and Visitors Bureau in Tennessee. “They’re already gathering information for their 2015 season at this show.”
The Travel South Showcase is an annual tourism event that brings together industry professionals for networking and promotion of destinations throughout the southeastern United States. Travel South USA is made of representatives from 11 states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia…
