Ozark Gateway Tourist Council Reveals New Guide
The Ozark Gateway Tourist Council revealed its new guide recently. The guide is put out yearly and includes copy and advertisements from eight Arkansas counties in the Ozark region.
This year’s guide is much larger than last years, mostly due to ad sales. The council has also revamped the interior since last year’s issue, giving the guide a brand new look. Another addition since last year is the inclusion of the Ozark Gateway Scenic Heritage Drives, illustrated by a map on pages 2 and 3 drawn by advisor to the board Craig Ogilvie. The three different Heritage Drives begin at the Old Independence Regional Museum in downtown Batesville and travel to and through various areas of the region. “Heritage tourism is very much the happening thing right now and we have a lot of heritage in the Ozark Gateway,” said Board President Bob Pest. “We really see it as a focus that will work.” With drives going everywhere from historic districts to caverns to museums and memorials, who wouldn’t want to visit this area? Since the drives all begin at the Old Independence Regional Museum, the T Tauri film festival and movie camp will be making a short regional film to help visitors decide which drive to take. With everything from state parks, historic districts, and the Ozark Folk Center, this area is rich in historic assets. “The idea is to have people understand the region not just as a region, to give it identity,” said Pest. The council is also seeking to have the drives designated as national scenic byways, most likely bringing even more tourism from even further away into the region.
The Ozark Gateway Tourist Council does everything from distributing the guide, to handing out pens, magnets, or round “Tu-its,” to maintaining a website detailing the great tourist opportunities of the area. As Executive Director Cathy Drew said “We’re very excited about the guide this year. We’ve worked very hard on it and we think it is the best one we’ve done so far. It has a lot of great information in it for everyone from the interested visitor to the curious resident. We hope it will have a huge impact on tourism in the region and we’re looking forward to making next year’s guide even better.” Be sure to pick up one of these great guides at a tourism center near you or request one through the website, or, for more information, please call 1-800-264-0316. Remember, the only thing missing from this region is your visit!
