FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — At Venango County Commissioners’ Tuesday night’s meeting, the ORA Plan of Work for 2019 was approved.

The ORA (Oil Region Alliance) Plan of Work is the annual Tourism Destination Marketing Plan.

The overall objective of the plan is to have the ORA “promote the Oil Region for tourism based on our assets of history/heritage, natural/outdoor resources and the arts, culture, and events taking place in our individual communities.”

Some examples given in the plan of history/heritage include museums, architecture, and walking tours, and examples of nature/outdoor recreation include the Allegheny River and local hiking/biking trails.

According to the plan, the ORA will work directly and indirectly with members of the tourism and lodging industries of the Oil Region, the Pennsylvania Great Lakes Region (PaGLR), the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, the Venango Regional Airport and the Pittsburgh International Airport to promote the Oil Heritage Region as a tourist destination.

The ORA will also offer a grant of up to 50 percent of the cost needed to print rack cards or tri-fold brochures that will promote tourist destinations in the Oil Region. Grants of up to $500 will be available to members of the ORA and applicants will be required to “match” the amount of their award. Design guidance will be provided at no cost to members.

According to the ORA’s plan, this service was offered in 2018 and produced “good results.”

The ORA will also continue to use publications to promote the region including the annual “Your Guide to Pennsylvania’s Oil Region” which is distributed locally, as well as at three stops on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and nine rest stops and 14 Welcome Centers on the interstate in Pennsylvania, the Grove City Outlet Mall, and at select AAA offices across the state. The plan calls for the printing and distribution of 60,000 copies in 2019.

Additional publications will include the development of a Tarbell House Rack Card and self-guided tour with Juliet Hilburn using Crawford Heritage Foundation Grant money and the design and printing of new rack cards that will promote each of the major “trails” in the region with examples of “trails” being golf trails, history trails, and arts and culture trails.

The ORA will also use website marketing in its efforts to promote the region with revised www.grabtrails.com and www.oilregion.org sites that will be “more information, interactive and mobile-friendly.”

In addition, the ORA plans to promote the Oil Region outside of the Oil Region by working to develop a “thorough” social media presence, which includes increasing followers and interaction on Facebook and Instagram; the continued placement of three ads in regional editions of the national vacation guide, Guest Quest, which generates a monthly database of leads provided to the ORA; placement of ads in three separate publications such as Lake Erie Living, Ohio Magazine, Happenings Magazine, and Where & When, which also generates a monthly database of leads provided to the ORA; and continued work with the Venango Regional Airport, Southern Airways, and the Pitt Connector (Pittsburgh International Airport) to promote passenger service from FKL to PIT.

The ORA would also like to develop a regional tourism app with mapping and itinerary tools to supplement digital interaction.

Also, the ORA is partnering with the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce to promote a regional Calendar of Events that is sent electronically each week to their database of over 850 recipients.

Another area of need seen by the ORA is that the hotel stock is “aging” and the Alliance wants to work with local hoteliers to improve their marketing strategies and seek programs that incentivize hotel improvements to increase the appeal of our inventory.

Additional activities the ORA would like to see happen include:

• Continued promotion of its participation in the National Park Service (NPS) Passport Program. Visitors will be able to purchase an NPS Passport and then take it to any of our four regional museums or our own office to have it validated.
• Work with ORA staff to promote events, programs and properties of the ORA including Tarbell House, Neilltown Church, Coal Oil Johnny House, William H. Scheide House, the Historic Preservation Awards, and various workshops.
• Build more connections with regional partners, especially in conjunction with major events that bring large crowds (i.e., AppleFest, International Bowhunting Organization Competition, OC100 Trail Races, etc.)
• Continue to market the FBO (fixed base operations) side of the Venango Regional Airport and its amenities.
• Continue issuing the Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Fishing Report. This collaborative effort of PaGLR (PA Great Lakes Region – Crawford, Erie, Mercer, and Venango Counties) is prepared by Darl Black, a fisherman/photographer and tour guide. It is issued throughout the year.

The ORA plan concludes by saying, “According to the 2016 Economic Impact of Travel and Tourism in Pennsylvania report by Tourism Economics, the region’s portion of travel and tourism employment has “shown steady growth over the past several years”.