Michael Klusek June 11th, 2005

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

CNN.com - Pennsylvania uses bloggers to lure tourists - Jun 7, 2005.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (Reuters) — Pennsylvania is turning to a new kind of travel writer to sell its glories: the blogger.

The state tourism office has created six blogs for selected "real people" to record their visits to prime Pennsylvania locations over the summer in exchange for their expenses paid.

"I choose what sites to visit and take it as it comes," said Robert McCreary, a 37-year-old computer software salesman from Chalfont, Pennsylvania. He has become the history buff of the project, visiting battlefields and monuments and writing about them on the VisitPA.com Web site.

In his current blog, McCreary describes driving toward the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg and imagining having General Robert E. Lee sitting in his passenger seat, "marveling at the car I was driving."

Other bloggers are a mountain biker seeking outdoor adventures; a motorcyclist looking to enjoy the open road in this largely rural state; a couple of New Yorkers whose itinerary includes a NASCAR event in the Poconos and milking cows in Amish country; a family of four looking for theme park thrills, and a pair of "culture vultures" who are planning to check out the nightlife in Pittsburgh and go shopping in the Delaware River town of New Hope.

"We want to speak to consumers in a voice that they want to identify with," said spokeswoman Carrie Fischer, spokeswoman for the state tourism office.

Check their stories out.  

"What a Long Strange Trip…

Over the next few months, you’ll really get to know the people
pictured below. They’re real people, and they’re taking real
Roadtrips—and you get to see it all right here at VisitPA.com. Our
Roadtrippers are making their own decisions, exploring the Commonwealth
on their own, and posting their photos and adventure blogs for you to
follow. "

I bet other states jump on board. This is a really cool way to put a personal spin on tourism.

• Blog Trends , Marketing , Public Relations