These stories are the last in a six-part series by staff writer Steve Sanoski and journalism students from the University of Mississippi.

The one person employed full time to focus on the tourism component of the Vicksburg and Warren County economy is Bill Seratt.

The project

Five journalism students from the University of Mississippi spent — Aline Carambat, Andrew Mullen Scott, Elizabeth Pearson, Donica Phifer and David Hopper — two days in Vicksburg last month — to gather and report on the future of tourism in the area. Their stories, directed by reporter Steve Sanoski and Executive Editor Charlie Mitchell, are being published through Friday.

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Part 1: If you build it, they will come

Part 2: Military park looks ahead to 150th anniversary

Part 3: Vibrancy for residents might hold key to city future

Part 4: Limited public transit is a driving concern

Part 5: No crystal ball on convention center hotel

Part 6: Nature a great natural resource in area

Part 7: As a draw, music offerings could use real ‘juke joint’

Part 8: New recreational parks could equal ‘major bucks’

Part 9: Annual events are foundation for return visits

Part 10: ‘Immersion’ experiences increasingly important

Coaxing improvements in area attractions, working to plan and support events, assembling travel packages and spreading the word about what the area offers are among the duties of the executive director of the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. The largest corporate casino and the smallest bed and breakfast depend on the efforts of the VCVB.

Seratt has been on the job two years, coming here after 11 years in Washington County. His arrival barely predated some tough months for tourism.

“Since the fall of 2007, there has been a decline in travel overall,” Serratt said. “Projections are that it will be slow in 2010, perhaps picking up some in the fourth quarter. And, by 2011, there will be a slow-but-steady return of visitation in the recovery period lasting through 2013.”

The agency Seratt heads was created by the Legislature in 1972 as the first of its type in Mississippi.

Also novel was creating a separate funding stream for the agency. VCVB does not depend on allocations from city, county or state governments, which could vary. Instead, it operates on a 1 percent sales tax added to the cost of rooms rented by the night, restaurant meals and bar tabs.

The VCVB also gets periodic grants, but it’s assured a base level of funding of about $1 million per year to spend on brochures, staffing a welcome center and advertising.

For the time being, Seratt said tourists are looking for value. Families are guarding their discretionary dollars.

“People are looking for the hot deals right now,” he said. “People want to know what the added bonus to their visit is: deals on meals, deals on hotel rooms, deals on attractions, deals on shopping.”

Longer range, he sees great things for Vicksburg tourism once the economy improves.

“The future here is bright. We’re in an economic slump right now and that is creating a pent-up demand,” he said. “I think when we see this slow-but-steady recovery between now and 2013, tourism will be bigger and better than ever.”

To meet the emerging market, Seratt said the VCVB will emphasize the Internet, help develop new festivals and special events and continue protecting the image of Vicksburg. By marketing through its Web site, Seratt says the VCVB will not only help people find Vicksburg, but also allow the VCVB to find people interested in cultural heritage tourism.

Still, Seratt said advertisements in family-oriented lifestyle magazines also continue to work.

“The people are picking that information up and going to the Web site directly from our print advertising,” he said. “It works in concert.”

Seratt said last year the VCVB sent out roughly half the number of printed visitor guides than in 2008 because of the increased traffic to the Web site.

“In the future we will not be printing as many visitor guides as we have in the past and that money will be directly applied to online marketing, so we’re just transferring from one advertising medium to another. It’s really just a transfer from print to electronic advertising.“

The VCVB will also increase the number of television commercials this year.

“We’re running ads in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana,” he said. “We ran fourth-quarter television and we’re coming back in first quarter of 2010 with a huge television campaign and then we’ll come back in third quarter with another backup campaign.”

Seratt answers to a volunteer board composed of 11 members, five appointed by Vicksburg officials, five appointed by Warren County supervisors and one jointly appointed by city and county officials.

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David Hopper is a student at the University of Mississippi.