At the beginning of each year, it is time to reflect on the previous year’s accomplishments and determine the objectives for the new year.

As we look back on 2009, many major events and activities transpired to make 2009 another outstanding year for tourism in Webster Parish. Here are some that are noteworthy:

Worked with the Rick Rowe Show in January to highlight Bayou Dorcheat with BASS Pro Homer Humphreys and the newly opened Dorcheat Museum.

This was an outstanding opportunity for Webster Parish to show off two major tourist attractions. Rick was so impressed with the beauty of Bayou Dorcheat, that he requested to schedule another broadcast to feature our "state designated scenic stream" and the development of a new destination for canoeing and kayaking enthusiasts as well as fishermen. Rick’s show has over 196,000 viewers.

Worked with the Rick Rowe Show again in June to highlight the “Year One” movie set in Sibley. The program broadcast live from the set.

The show included interviews with local business men and extras discussing the economic impact the movie had on our local economy. The set is the largest ever built in Louisiana.

The film was estimated at $150 million in production costs. The 6 acre set cost $15 million to build and brought an estimated $5-$7 million in local revenues.  

Worked closely with The Farley Group to update the website and it is truly upscale. It projects a professional image of Webster Parish along with providing information to the visitor. It features Webster Parish celebrities Trace Adkins,  the Cox Family, BASS Pro Homer Humphreys and others.

Worked closely with The Farley Group to develop a new billboard campaign along the I 20 and I 220 featuring Trace Adkins.

The billboards will be seen by approximately 40,000 people a day passing through our parish on the interstate. That is a number provided by the Louisiana Department of Transportation.

Continued and expanded a radio advertising campaign featuring major events in the parish.

Developed a press kit for travel writers and media shows.

Coordinated and hosted three media tours resulting in feature stories on Webster Parish in the Houston Chronicle, the Texarkana Gazette and the Louisiana Travel website.

Worked with the editor of the Forum Magazine to highlight Webster Parish on the cover and the feature story in May.

Webster Parish Convention and Visitor’s Bureau became an official certified visitor’s center in 2009. With the addition of new staff member, Johnnye Kennon, offers two certified travel counselor for our tourist bureau.

Looking ahead

In 2010, the Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Commission will be focusing on new marketing efforts, with the assistance of the state cooperative advertising program, to purchase advertising in national publications including Southern Living, AAA Southern Traveler, and AAA Texas Journey.

For the first time, we will participate in the Louisiana Newspaper Program including six issues in 69 Louisiana newspapers statewide.

Our preapproved cooperative advertising program in 2010 will allow us to purchase $40,000.00 of national advertising for $20,000.

For the first time, more than three million people outside our immediate vicinity will be exposed to the wonderful things that Webster Parish has to offer to our visitor.

Currently, our hotel occupancy rates are high due to pipeline construction in our immediate area.
However, we realize that this is only temporary and are delighted to reinvest the hotel occupancy tax collections in new promotions that will provide our parish the opportunity to reach out and attract new visitors from surrounding states and other parts of Louisiana.

This will be our first time to participate in the Louisiana Department of Tourism Cooperative Advertising Program and have committed a major part of our 2010 advertising budget to this effort.

BASS Pro Homer Humphreys is under contract as spokesperson for Webster Parish Tourism. Last year, he accompanied us at the Fort Worth Boat Show in January and the BASS Master Classic Trade Show and media luncheon in Shreveport in February.

He signed autographs and we gave away two guided tours with our local BASS Champion.

This is an outstanding opportunity for us to introduce Webster Parish to Sports and Outdoor enthusiasts and travel writers. This year we are scheduling with Homer to attend more sport and outdoor trade shows around the country again.

The Dorcheat Restoration Committee is proud to report that the representatives of the State Land Office recently completed the GPS mapping of Bayou Dorcheat. The duck boxes are modified and staged to be installed in January and February in a joint effort by the Ozark Society and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

The project is beginning to draw attention around the state and nationally. The use of duck boxes to mark a navigatible channel on Bayou Dorcheat will be featured in National Bird Watchers Digest this month and has already been featured in Delta Waterfowl Magazine.

This is the year tourism must develop a brochure and website to market this new tourist attraction.

The State Office of Tourism has recently developed a scenic byway corridor plan. Webster Parish Highway 2 has been in development as a scenic byway for more than five years.

The Highway 2 byway runs from the Texas state line, just west of Vivian, to Homer. There will be four kiosks along the byway, one located in Sarepta. The construction is now underway and Tourism and the Town of Sarepta have provided input for the interpretive panels being developed by a consulting firm. Tourism has purchased a cupola and weathervane to add to the attractiveness of the structure.

Visitors traveling along Highway 2 will have the opportunity to stop and learn about the history, people and places that make up our parish.  

The Louisiana Department of State will begin construction of 1,500 square foot information center at the entrance to the Germantown Colony this spring.

In addition to the building, there will be exhibits, interpretive panels and onsite signage installed. There will be highway and directional signage as well.

Webster Parish will benefit for years to come from the development of Germantown as a major tourist attraction for the state.

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