Travel grants to bolster Carson City Visitors program

Promoting Carson City’s paranormal world, improving blighted spaces and creating mountain bike destinations are among the projects the Carson City Visitors Bureau is lining up with help from Travel Nevada.

The Nevada Commission on Tourism announced last week $983,400 in grants to fund 159 projects promoting tourism in rural Nevada.

“Rural Nevada continues to use creativity to bring in visitors,” Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison said. “And that creativity serves an important industry. Tourism in rural Nevada is a $2.3 billion industry that supports 27,870 jobs.”

The visitors bureau will receive $5,000 to bolster $10,000 already being used to create video and other marketing to promote the Carson City Ghost Walk, a guided tour through historic homes on the west side.

“It’s such an incredible experience,” said Joel Dunn, executive director of the visitors bureau. “It tells the stories of our historic city, coupled with a unique twist of the paranormal.”

The grant will be used to develop a video to be used on the Visit Carson City mobile app, featuring McAvoy Lane as Mark Twain.

“It’s a distinctive Carson City experience,” Dunn said. “This concept will help diversify our target market by providing more exposure to our current visitors and attracting new visitors.”

The bureau will also receive $10,000 for a $30,000 campaign to market single-track mountain biking along Highways 50 and 93 through Nevada.

“It introduces travelers to outdoor recreation though our eastern gateway,” Dunn said. “Many outdoor enthusiasts from Colorado and Utah maybe make it as far as Ely. We need to make sure they continue across the state, eventually ending in Carson City.”

Dunn said he has worked with tourism representatives in Austin, Eureka, Ely and Caliente.

“The marketing collateral we produce will educate travelers across the state, creating a more informed visitor,” he said. “A more informed visitor leads to a better experience and, hopefully, returned visits.”

The Carson City Visitors Bureau will also use $5,000 of the state grant money to turn blighted spaces into works of art.

Through the Re-Imagined Space campaign, in partnership with the Redevelopment Committee and the Carson City Cultural Commission, local artists will turn vacant storefronts into mini galleries.

“Taking what could be seen as an eyesore and turning it into something artistic and beautiful will improve the experience of our estimated 700,000 visitors per year,” said Mark Salinas, Carson City’s director of arts and culture.

The bureau also received $5,000 to advertise in Nevada Magazine.

“We will use that advertising to promote local attractions such as the V&T Railroad, the Nevada State Museum, the Nevada State Railroad Museum, Stewart Indian School, outdoor trails, among others,” Dunn said. “All of our marketing campaigns will target visitors 100 more miles away. Nevada Magazine, with 60,000 viewers, is an ideal publication to reach potential visitors.”

For a complete listing of grant recipients by territory, click http://bit.ly/2sSO4Xk.