PARKERSBURG, WV (February 24, 2010) -- The Greater Parkersburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with representatives and group tour operators from nine states and Canada converged in Columbus, Ohio February 19-22 for the annual Heartland Group Travel Showcase.

More than 300 tourism destinations hailing from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada vied for the attention of group tour operators as they looked-to-book bus groups throughout the Mid-West in 2010 and 2011.

Steve Nicely, Greater Parkersburg CVB president and CEO, said the bureau has attended the show for the past eight years and believes it to be one of the most beneficial travel/trade shows to attend.

"In terms of the quality and quantity of appointments we had with tour planners, this was by far our best year at Heartland Travel Showcase,” Nicely said. “With very few exceptions, all the tour planners we talked with expressed sincere interest in bringing their groups to our area. Now we begin the process of putting together their tour itineraries and supplying the tour planners with the materials they need to sell the tours to their customers."

For more information, visit www.greaterparkersburg.com.

The Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau was organized in 1985 and is an independent, nonprofit corporation dedicated to strengthening the area's economy by marketing Greater Parkersburg as a destination for leisure travel, group tours, meetings and conventions. The Bureau is devoted to providing appropriate services for visitors and its partners.

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