Tourism officials from across the state got a good look at Vicksburg this week as the city played host to the Governor’s Conference on Tourism, a gathering of tourism officials from across the state, sponsored by the Mississippi Tourism Association, an organization devoted to promoting and encouraging tourism in the state.

Hosting the conference for the first time was a feather in Vicksburg’s hat, giving the city an opportunity to show people from the rest of the state what it has to offer in the way of attractions, and allowed some people at the conference to renew their ties with the city.

“A lot of these people have not been in Vicksburg in a while and it’s really important to see what the Vicksburg tourism product is, and how that works in concert with their tourism products which is beneficial in the development of regional itineraries,” Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Bill Seratt said. And with its location along the Mississippi River, its connection to the blues and the Civil War through the Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg is well-placed to be a major part of the state’s tourism industry.

It’s location in the west central part of the state makes it a destination for visitors who are trying to take in the attractions of several nearby areas of the state, and Seratt said the regional approach is the key to promoting Vicksburg and other areas in the state.

“We know that no one’s going to fly into Jackson rent a car and come to Vicksburg for a week and drive back to Jackson and fly out. It is a multi-city stop,” he said, highlighting the city’s location between Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans along the Great River Road and U.S. 61, America’s Blues Highway.

“There’s nothing that we’re richer in than the history and the heritage and the culture, and so many of those come in the form of stories handed down from generation to generation,” MTA president Kappi Allen said.

That’s something Vicksburg has been doing for sometime, and hopefully our story will now help bring visitors who will stay longer and learn our story.