BOSTON — As you hit the road you will likely see some brand new billboards professing love for our state. It’s a new campaign by the Massachusetts Regional Tourism Council to help the industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s not just aimed at out of state tourists, it’s meant primarily for Massachusetts residents.
For the next three months, digital billboards across the state and at MBTA stations will display “With Love From…” They’re meant to help restart the industry as the state slowly reopens and to remind locals that they can be a tourist at home.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if folks in Massachusetts, who have always thought, ‘gee, I’ve never been to and fill in the blank right here in our beautiful state,’ could take the opportunity to actually get up and go, [and] not worry about self-quarantine when they get someplace and give a little boost to our economy,” said Nancy Gardella, co-chair of the Massachusetts Regional Tourism Council.
The billboards will lead to a page where visitors can choose a region of interest and click through to destination websites for regional updates and travel information.
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Joe Bevilacqua is president and CEO of the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce. He feels the campaign is hugely important and could pay big dividends.
"We expect people will stay here in the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts. They'll drive here from other states as well and they'll spend their great vacation time here with us, they'll spend money, they'll eat in our restaurants, stay in our hotels, visit our retail stores. It'll help boost our economy; we desperately need that," he said.
Travel and tourism is one of Massachusetts' key industries. According to the Regional Tourism Council, in 2018, it accounted for more than $24 billion in direct spending and generated more than $1.5 billion in state and local taxes.
"This billboard campaign is just a gentle reminder that all of these wonderful regions with so much to see and do are available right here for Massachusetts residents," Gardella said.
The “With Love From…” campaign will feature 14 tourism regions around Massachusetts on 17 billboards over the next three months.
You can learn more about the campaign here.
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RESOURCES:
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