In the recent "State of the Community" hosted by the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce at the Chillicothe Country Club March 24th, the big development in the 'state of our tourism' was an anticipated topic. Kevin Coleman was there.
Melody Young, director of the Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitors Bureau, spoke on the United Nations recognition of our prehistoric earthworks. She said it is a "Good Seal" stamp of approval on what we have here.
She said after 15 years, the final vote to add the "Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks" to the prestigious World Heritage list will be September 18th in Saudi Arabia, with a big local celebration October 14th.
Young said, of the 26 nominations under consideration in this cycle, ours is the only one in the U.S. - as well as the first in Ohio, only the 25th in the United States, and one of more than 1,000 in the world.
She says the local and regional tourism industry has been gearing up for this major economic impact, and looking at the Cahokia Earthworks near St. Louis for comparison. It has been a park since the 1980s, but once it got the U.N. listing, their visitation increased tenfold to about 600,000 a year, and up to a million - stabilizing at about 400,000.
Young says all local sites will benefit as visitors should stay in the area longer - and that some tourists use the World Heritage list as a "bucket list" of places to visit.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom or Kevin Coleman