Cleveland County is a great place to live, work and play and the Board of County Commissioners wants more people to come visit. Cleveland County is increasing its focus on travel and tourism to bring more visitors here in order to increase tourism revenue for businesses throughout the County.
“Promoting travel and tourism has been a partnership between Cleveland County and the Chamber of Commerce,” said County Commission Chair Susan Allen. “When we reviewed best practices and models used by other counties, leaders from both the Chamber and the County decided that the County should take the lead in promoting travel and tourism,” Allen added.
Transitioning travel and tourism from the Chamber to the County aligns better with both organizations’ strategic plans. “When the Commissioners developed the County’s strategic plan, we identified a need to increase our marketing and public relations in Cleveland County and throughout the region,” said Allen.
Cleveland County is meeting this need in phases. “Last summer, we hired Janet Hart as the County’s new public information officer,” said Assistant County Manager Kerri Melton. “Over the past few months, Cleveland County has increased community engagement through social media, developed a new website design at www.clevelandcounty.com, and rolled out a new branding campaign – Live, Work and Play in Cleveland County,” Melton added.
The second phase involves growing Cleveland County as a travel and tourism destination. “We have hired Emily Epley (no relation to Cleveland County Manager Brian Epley), as the new Travel and Tourism Director for Cleveland County,” said Melton. “Emily’s experience launching the development of The Earl Scruggs Center and serving as its first director provides an excellent foundation for launching the County’s travel and tourism division,” Melton added. Epley will begin work on March 1.
“We are excited about the progressive steps that we are taking to enhance the County’s image, grow our community engagement, build economic development and promote Cleveland County as a tourist destination,” said Commissioner Ronnie Whetstine. “Cleveland County is a wonderful place for people of all ages to visit for a day trip or a weekend,” Whetstine added. “From the Foothills Outdoor Shooting Complex to the American Legion World Series, from live music and historical properties to specialty restaurants, vineyards and breweries, we have something for everyone,” said Whetstine.
“We want people from the southeastern U.S. to know more about Cleveland County as a destination for culture, history, shopping, sports and recreation,” said Commissioner Doug Bridges, “and of course, barbecue!”
To learn more about Cleveland County, please visit www.clevelandcounty.com.