Travel and tourism week will highlight regional attractions

From staff reports

The Oil Region Alliance and eight neighboring counties are celebrating National Travel and Tourism Week starting Sunday and continuing through next Saturday.

Venango County is teaming up with Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, Butler, Beaver and Indiana counties, and the Laurel Highlands region, to highlight the importance of tourism to local economies and residents’ quality of life.

“This program is an excellent opportunity for each county to help spread the word about our neighbors and the variety of wonderful attractions we each have close to home,” said Emily Altomare, the communications and tourism manager for the Alliance.

The Alliance will feature a neighboring county each day of Tourism Week and a $100 prize supplied by that county on the Alliance’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Each post will include a link to follow to be entered in the prize drawings.

Prizes to be given through Venango County include gift certificates to an ATV park, lakeside restaurant, pinball arcade and children’s museum.

Likewise, Venango County will be featured each day on a different neighbor’s social media.

National Travel and Tourism Week was created by Congress in 1983 to elevate the economic power of travel in the U.S. This year’s celebration has a theme of “Future of Travel.”

“After the difficulties associated with the pandemic over the past two years, our individual communities as well as the tourism industry at large are ready to get back to sharing all we have to offer and having new experiences,” Altomare said.

People can follow the Alliance on Facebook and Instagram to enter the contest from Sunday through next Saturday. The full list of winners will be available Monday, May 9.