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A
convention and visitor bureau (CVB) is a not-for-profit
organization supported by transient room tax, government
budget allocations, private membership or a combination of
any or all three. It can also be named a tourist commission,
tourist and convention commission, or other similar
variations.
The
bureau in each city, county or region has four prime
responsibilities:
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To
encourage groups to hold meetings, conventions and
tradeshows in the city or area it represents;
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To
assist those groups with meeting preparations and while
their meeting is in progress;
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To
encourage tourists to visit and enjoy the historic,
cultural and recreational opportunities the destination
offers;
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To
represent a specific destination and help the long-term
development of communities through a travel and tourism
strategy.
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To serve as a community’s
marketing agency by promoting the city’s/county’s assets
to visitors with the objective of increasing the
economic impact to the local economy via the greenest
and cleanest of economic strategies - people visiting,
spending money and leaving the community intact.
A CVB
does not actually organize meetings and conventions. It
does, however, help meeting planners and visitors learn
about the destination and area attractions and make the best
possible use of all the services and facilities the
destination has to offer.
For
visitors, CVB's are like a key to the city. As an unbiased
resource, CVB's can serve as a broker or an official point
of contact for convention and meeting planners, tour
operators and visitors. They assist planners with meeting
preparation and encourage business travelers and visitors
alike to visit local historic, cultural and recreational
attractions.
Travel
and tourism enhances the quality of life for a local
community by providing jobs, bringing in tax dollars for
improvement of services and infrastructure, and attracting
facilities like restaurants, shops, festivals, and cultural
and sporting venues that cater to both visitors and locals. |