The Danville Office of Economic Development & Tourism announced the launch of its newly designed website for the regional tourism brand, Visit SoSi.
The website showcases local attractions, dining options, lodging accommodations, and travel information for visitors, stakeholders, and SoSi residents. The website also features a calendar of upcoming events and digital copies of the Tourism Master Plan and visitor guide.
The website follows the 2023 launch of Visit SoSi, a regional tourism brand that invites locals and visitors to take a fresh look at Danville city and Pittsylvania County. The fresh, new messaging and positioning strategy lean into the region’s well-known geographical affiliation with Southside Virginia and provides a confident, playful twist highlighting all there is to “do” and “see” within the area. The brand was created by Eddy Alexander, a full-service marketing and growth strategy advisory firm, headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia.
“The creation and development of the new regional tourism website was a critical first-term priority in our Tourism Master Plan,” said Tourism Manager, Lisa Meriwether. “The launch of the new website is just one more step we have taken to create a more dynamic and engaging way for our community to support and engage with our new regional tourism brand, Visit SoSi. Our communities offer warm hospitality and abundant activities, unique delights, and plenty of adventure, and we wanted a platform to share that information with both visitors and residents.”
Created by Simpleview, a worldwide leading provider of website design and data insights for destination marketing organizations, the new website utilizes both a content management system and customer relationship management, to engage stakeholders and promote the region. Businesses and stakeholders are encouraged to utilize the extranet portal to communicate directly with other businesses, provide up-to-date information on sales, coupons, and events, and receive announcements from the Visit SoSi team regarding initiatives and events. These listings will feed directly to the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s website, virginia.org. To learn how to take advantage of this interactive portal, interested businesses should plan to atend a virtual training taking place throughout 2024.
Karen Johnston, owner of Karen’s Hallmark Shop, says, “The influx of tourists in the city has created great revenue and networking gains for the Danville Mall, Nor-Dan Shopping Center, Riverside Shopping Center, Ballou Park, and Coleman Marketplace. Visit SoSi has created a sense of community in the city, as well as the county, and prepared us for the future growth ahead.”
The website also features information on the Visit SoSi Tourism Sponsorship program, a reimbursable funding opportunity for stakeholders interested in creating new experiences that elevate community presence, atract new visitors, and support the local economy. Apply here: htps://www.visitsosi.com/tourism-sponsorship/
Visit the new website here: htps://www.visitsosi.com/