GRAMPIAN – The Clearfield County Recreation and Tourism Authority issued its anniversary report during a meeting held at Bilger’s Rocks in Grampian Wednesday afternoon.
Amid a backdrop of trees lush with green leaves and a gentle breeze, CCRTA Director Sandy Fink Barrett said that the CCRTA completed its second year as the county’s tourism promotion agency.
“The first year we were staring to get our feet wet. This year we’re doing the breast stroke,” Barrett said.
In addition to maintaining an assertive marketing plan and meeting or exceeding all Department of Community and Economic Development requirements regarding the CCRTA’s designation as the county tourism promotion agency, the authority printed 75,000 visitor guides, and only 12,000 remain for distribution this year. Those guides can be located in many places in the county in addition to state welcome centers, rest areas, more than 30 prime tourist locations in and near the county borders as well as via mail requests.
CCRTA has also maintained a Web site, seeing 14,274 unique and 22,396 total visitors in the past 12 months.
Barrett pointed to the most recent issue of “Recreation News,” which is distributed in Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., for a feature on tourism in Clearfield County. She noted that it is the third time the publication has given Clearfield County the front page.
“They do a very good job for us,” she said.
CCRTA Board President Wes Weymers thanked the county commissioners for putting faith in the CCRTA two years ago to designate the authority as the tourism promotion agency.
“They could have gone to people who do this for a living, but they chose to put their trust in 12 residents.”
The CCRTA meets on the second Wednesday of the month at noon in the CCRTA office on North Front Street.