On Tuesday, November 2nd, Melissa Schwan, Vinton Unlimited Director and Brenda Hackbarth, Destination Vinton committee member attended Travel Iowa Marketplace in Pella. Travel Iowa Marketplace provides tour planners with the opportunity to meet one-on-one with exhibitors representing destinations and attractions from across the state. The event is sponsored by the Iowa Group Travel Association and the Central Iowa Tourism Region.
It is always fun to attend these types of events and chat with the tour organizers. They are a fun group of people looking for fun outings for their travelers noted Schwan. Both Schwan and Hackbarth felt Vinton will see some new visitors as a result of their booth. We received some great feedback about Vinton commented Hackbarth.
The fun thing about Vinton is that we can handle groups large and small for a few hours, a full day or even an overnight stop. We always tailor the itinerary to the group’s interest which helps makes the visit more fun. Between 2016 and 2017, we hosted 10 overnight bus groups in Vinton. The trips originated from a company in Wisconsin and were advertised in the Our Iowa magazine. Because of the nature of the travelers, trips run for about two years before needing to be retired. We are certain they will consider visiting us again in the future. We also hosted numerous smaller groups in 2017. Some of our highlights include the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School with tours from the Mary Ingalls Society, tours of our historic properties, walking tours of the murals and the opportunity for some shopping.
All of our work wouldn’t be possible without our fabulous committee members – Nancy Beckman, Phil Borleske, Brenda Hackbarth, Teresa Meyer and Dave Wessling. They are all wonderful cheerleaders for our community!