Your vote in online poll can make a difference

Published 7:38 pm Friday, January 5, 2018

The Vicksburg National Military Park needs your help.

The park, which is the center of the tourism industry in Vicksburg, is one of 20 attractions throughout the state included in a vote by USA Today to choose the best attractions in each of the 50 states.

After leading the voting early on, the military park has fallen into second place behind the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola.

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Voting is open until Jan. 15 and you can vote for a Mississippi attraction once a day by going to www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-mississippi-attraction.

The park played a key role in the Civil War and continues to play a major role in the economy of Vicksburg due to the tourism it brings to town.

According to a report by the National Parks Service, the 508,915 visitors to Vicksburg National Military Park in 2016, the most recent year numbers are available, spent about $28 million in communities near the park, supporting 488 local tourism-related jobs outside the park and producing an overall benefit to the local economy of $39.1 million.

Being listed as one of the top 20 attractions in the state is an honor in and of itself, but winning the vote has the potential to bring more tourism to Vicksburg as the park will then be listed as the top attraction in Mississippi.

So before the deadline Jan. 15 take a few minutes and cast your vote for the key to Vicksburg’s tourism industry.