Travel writers passing through

The Tourist Development Council might bring some back in the fall for a more in-depth look at the county.

By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 18, 2000

Hernando County will get some national exposure on Wednesday when a group of travel writers sail through the area as part of a nine-county tour of Central Florida.

Local tourism officials aren't complaining, but they say Hernando County is ready for a private tour all to itself. And marketing committee members of the county's Tourist Development Council are planning such a tour for travel writers in the fall. It would would be the first such event not shared with other counties, county tourism coordinator Sue Rupe said.

If the full TDC board approved the plan, it would have to foot the bill too.

This week's tour, passing through Hernando, Pasco, Citrus, Levy, Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla and Marion counties, costs $5,000 and is being split between a state grant and the non-profit Florida's Nature Coast Inc. Tours in the past that came through Hernando have been handled through the state's tourism marketing arm, called Visit Florida, Rupe said.

"It's good exposure for us," Rupe said. "People don't even know what we have to offer."

The money for a possible fall tour of travel writers, who likely would be from within Florida to cut down on expenses, would come from the $58,000 the TDC has tentatively set aside for marketing for the budget cycle beginning Oct. 1.

Rupe said she does not know how much it would cost to be host to a tour, but she hopes to consult with other counties that have done them to compare notes. She thinks magazine articles go further in encouraging visitors to spend time at Hernando County's attractions than simple advertisements.

"Florida is a big market for (Hernando County)," Rupe said. "I think it gives people another place to go for a weekend or vacation. And if the price of gas still goes up, I think people may look for places closer to home."

Tourist Development Council board member Joe Johnston III said he would have to hear the full proposal before agreeing to spend any money on the fall plan. But there would be an advantage to having a team of travel writers only in Hernando County for several days instead of passing through for one or two days, he said.

The group of 10 travel writers coming this week will spend Wednesday afternoon on a fishing trip on the Gulf of Mexico, the evening at a dinner at Weeki Wachee Spring and Thursday morning touring World Woods Golf Course, Rupe said.

The writers include several freelancers, a columnist from the Miami Herald and a writer from Outdoor World, a magazine.

"The tours we've shared in get some exposure, and people are favorably impressed," Johnston said. "They are not aware that this part of Florida is the way it is."

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.