With a new grant, Web site and brochure, the Cascade Highlands regional tourism initiative is well on its way to becoming a driving force in the local tourism industry.

In August, the Cascade Highlands initiative was awarded a $40,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to put together videos related to the Blue Ridge Parkway and GPS-triggered guides in honor of the 75th anniversary of the parkway. The grant is part of the Gems of Appalachia initiative, which aims to enhance economic development opportunities for areas bordering the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Brandon McCann, regional tourism director in charge of the Cascade Highlands initiative, said they will have one year to create six guides related to topics such as Cumberland Knob, hiking and biking, equestrian opportunities and more. They will create videos plus downloadable guides of points of interest for GPS devices.

Two months ago, the Cascade Highlands initiative launched a Web site and getaway guide. The Web site, www.thecascadehighlands.com, features links to local organizations and tourist attractions, an area map and event listings.

“We want to become a leader with online marketing in the region,” McCann said.

The new getaway guide includes a map on one side of the Cascade Highlands region. The other side of the brochure provides lists of attractions under the categories of outdoor and recreation, music and dance, arts and crafts, history and culture, wineries and vineyards, and festivals and events.

Chris Knopf, assistant county manager for economic development and tourism, serves on the Cascade Highlands board and said they have recently finished working on the organization’s strategic plan.

Knopf said, “We’ve gone through some of our initial efforts ... and we’ve had a lot of success.”

Since the release of the guide and Web site, the initiative’s leaders have also focused on researching the area. Through market research, they have surveyed close to 600 people from various states regarding their perceptions of the area. The initiative has also conducted small focus groups in each participating county, asking what the counties expect out of the initiative.

McCann said one key suggestion from participants was to continue removing boundaries between states and counties regarding tourism. He said they are working to help facilitate packages between different counties and attractions. He said, for example, that a bed and breakfast would try to partner with a local tourist site regardless of county, so that when people visit one place they are also informed about other local attractions or businesses.

“We want to create awareness of our region as a destination ... We want people to stay here and stay longer,” McCann explained.

He believes that the Cascade Highlands region is a central location for people traveling from the North to the South. McCann wants these travelers to not simply pass through the Cascade Highlands, but to stay overnight and extend their trip.

Knopf said, “As a region we can really package ourself as a week or even 10-day stay location.”

McCann said the organization is now working to finalize the organization’s spring campaign, which will feature the release of the data the group has been collecting about the region and what visitors are expecting.

The board of directors has also been working on a funding plan. McCann said most of the initiative’s funds come from grants. Participating counties provide grants. With the economic downturn this year, McCann said the organization has not been hit too hard as far as funding is concerned.

“We’ve been able to stay stable so far ... So far we’ve been blessed with great supporters,” he said.

McCann said he is also working to put together press packages. The initiative will host a packaging seminar as part of the spring campaign, where partnerships will get to come learn about how to create tourism packages.

“We want to be a place you can come and learn about travel and tourism,” said McCann.

One challenge of the initiative has been to coordinate tourism in such a large geographical area, but McCann said it has flowed pretty smoothly so far.

Knopf pointed out that there are many tourism organizations in the area, but this initiative’s focus is different in scope. It focuses on a regional level.

“We’re not going to duplicate any efforts, just enhance,” he assured.

The Cascade Highlands is composed of the city of Galax, Va.; Alleghany, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties in North Carolina; and Carroll, Grayson and Smyth counties in Virginia. The initiative’s board of directors is composed of people from each county.

The initiative got a jump start in April 2008 with the purpose of bringing more tourism to the area and linking surrounding counties. McCann said he and his colleagues still have a lot of work to do.

“We’re still young,” he said.

For those interested, the Cascade Highlands getaway guide is available at the economic development office in the Surry County Government Center in Dobson or can be downloaded from the Cascade Web site, www.thecascadehighlands.com. The initiative’s phone number is (888) 60CASCADE.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or at 719-1952.