CVB Launches New Incentive Program to Support Tourism Growth

Local residents can help support tourism in Lincoln Parish through a new incentive program created by the Ruston Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau called “TAP” into Lincoln Parish.

The Travel Ambassador Program (TAP) seeks to get local residents in Lincoln Parish involved in helping to attract more meeting and conferences to the area by providing the CVB with personal contacts that could lead to meetings or conferences being booked in Lincoln Parish.

“The CVB recognizes that many of the residents within Lincoln Parish are a part of various associations, professional organizations, as well as social and religious groups,” said CVB President and CEO Travis Napper. “We are asking community members to be ambassador for tourism by sharing with us their personal contacts so that we can then reach out to them about bringing their meeting or conference to Lincoln Parish. We are simply asking residents to point us in the right direction and we will do the rest.”

Local residents will be rewarded for their participation.  Napper said qualified referrals that result in a definite booking of 20 or more room nights will receive a $100 gift card to one of Lincoln Parish’s outstanding local restaurants.

All qualified referrals will also be entered into a drawing for a prize packet valued at $1,000 to be awarded during National Travel and Tourism Week in May 2013.

 “This program is all about tapping into our community to attract tourism,” said Timothy Bush, vice president of sales and marketing. “There is really no reason not to involve the community. It will help us generated solid leads on potential business and help the community know how important tourism is to the local economy.”

Napper said the program will be ongoing. However, the CVB will concentrate its efforts on booking short term opportunities that are available in 2013 and 2014. Napper said the plan of action is to contact potential groups and sell them on the experience of bringing their groups to Lincoln Parish.

“Lincoln Parish has several things going for it that could appeal to potential groups,” he said. “We have affordable hotel rates, which in this economy is really important to meeting planners, we have flexible meeting space in Lincoln Parish that could work for a variety of group sizes and we are a destination that is very much in the drive market being right along Interstate 20. Many groups may have never considered Ruston before.

Our job is to let them know what our community does offer that could work for them.”

If you have a referral that could potential bring a meeting or conference to Ruston contact Travis Napper or Timothy Bush at 318-255-2031. They can also be reached by email at tnapper@rustonlincoln.com or tbush@rustonlincoln.com