Having determined that the region, which had lost its major industries, could benefit from a formalized tourism program to deliver economic impact, the effort to realize that objective was grounded in the development of a comprehensive economic development/tourism plan resulted in a newly designated destination named “Discover Lost River Valley.”

The comprehensive plan and subsequent implementation included (1) a detailed profile of current visitors, (2) a comprehensive inventory of tourism assets and resources within a 30 mile radius that revealed a collection of more than 25 major attractions available to promote, (3) a capacity assessment that revealed plenty of lodging capacity to accommodate more visitors, (4) listen to learn interviews with 30 community officials and community members that revealed both the opportunities and barriers to attracting additional visitors, (5) segmenting and targeting the most lucrative visitor markets that could be attracted to the region, (6) development of standardized and customizable marketing partner packages, (7) development of a database of visitor facing locations complete with contact information to support a communication program, (8) development of a comprehensive new website with original copy and member conversion capabilities, (9) implementation of a year-long robust digital marketing program on eight platforms three times a week, (10) development of new winter activities program, (12) development of two new detailed visitor ready itineraries, (13) development of a new website to attract new businesses and residents, (14) implementation of a digital marketing effort to recruit new businesses, and (15) community outreach to generate a sustainable revenue base for Lost River Economic Development.