Spring 2012 Henry County Visitor Guide
HENRY COUNTY, IL – A New Year is a good time to do new things, and the Henry County Tourism Bureau (HCTB) is seizing the opportunity to launch a new logo and tag line, along with a new visitor’s guide.
The tag line is “The Back Roads Beckon”, and the logo graphics are evocative of Henry County’s country drives, waterways and fall foliage.
“Our old logo and tag line – ‘Where You Long to Be’ – has been around since the Bureau was founded in 2005,” explained Cathy Foes, HCTB director. “Now that we know more about whom our visitors are and why they visit, it’s time for a change.”
The logo was designed by Lee Ann Bailleu of B & B Printing in Kewanee, in cooperation with Foes and HCTB’s marketing committee, which includes: Roger Luft, chairman, of Galva; Randy Anderson of Bishop Hill; Mechelle Dyer of Galva; Deb Ford of the Main Street Program in Orion; Jeff Johnson of Sunnyfield Greenhouse & Garden Center between Galva and Kewanee.
“Our committee did a lot of brainstorming,” said Luft. “Research shows that the majority of our visitors are as in a majority is age 40 and up. They like to get off the interstates and discover new places and new things. They enjoy road trips on ‘blue highways’ and country roads that lead to small towns, friendly people, wide open spaces, and cultural heritage sites. That’s exactly what Henry County has!”
On Jan. 9, HCTB begins distributing 20,000 brand-new Visitors Guides to tourist attractions throughout the area, including museums, hotels, restaurants and shops.
The 48-page guide was made possible through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity/Illinois Office of Tourism Marketing Partnership Program Grant totaling over $26,448.77 for FY2012. The Illinois Tourist Information Centers stock it and HCTB distributes it at trade shows and mails it in response to inquiries generated by advertising.
“The guide reflects the new tag line,” said Foes. “The new layout is packed with stories attracting people to travel the back roads and discover Henry County’s treasures.”
In 2010, visitors to Henry County spent $37.7 million at hotels, B & B’s, restaurants, stores, campgrounds, attractions, events and gas stations, an increase of 8.3 per cent over the previous year, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity.
HCTB was founded in 2005 as a private, nonprofit state-certified convention and visitor’s bureau. Its mission is to promote tourism growth through creative strategic marketing and promotion. It is funded by local hotel occupancy tax revenues, memberships and an annual Illinois Office of Tourism Local Tourism & Convention Bureau grant.
For more information about HCTB, log on to www.VisitHenryCounty.com or phone toll-free 877-436-7926.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
For Interviews:
Cathy Foes, Executive Director
Henry County Tourism Bureau
director@visithenrycounty.com
309-937-1256
For High-Res Logos & Visitor Guide Covers:
Jim & Kathleen Webster, Media Consultants
Webster’s Unabridged, Inc.
websters@galenalink.com
815-777-2422
