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:

• To encourage groups to hold meetings, conventions and tradeshows in the city or area it represents;

• To assist those groups with meeting preparations and while their meeting is in progress;  

• To encourage tourists to visit and enjoy the historic, cultural and recreational opportunities the destination offers;

• To represent a specific destination and help the long-term development of communities through a travel and tourism strategy.

• 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.