Howard County's office of tourism is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and on Valentine's Day, the agency will unveil a new attraction—its updated website.
Howard County Tourism and Promotion (HCTP) will launch a redesigned website on Tuesday featuring aesthetic and experiential improvements, according to Rachelina Bonacci, HCTP's executive director.
The new look is being rolled out on Valentine's Day so that people will remember the date and because "we put a lot of love into that website," said Bonacci. "We love how it looks (and) functions and are sure users will too..."
The county —which went into effect this year and doubled HCTP's funding—made the project possible, according to Bonacci.
"The additional funding afforded HCTP the opportunity to redesign its website to better market the county since so much of travel—whether it's a day trip, weekend, night out or business meeting—is planned online," said Bonacci in an email to Patch.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, 76 percent of travelers use the Internet to plan their leisure trips.
Howard County attracts 700,000 overnight visitors each year, according to HCTP, and the tourism industry brings approximately $14 million in revenue to the county annually.
On Feb. 14, see the new site at http://www.visithowardcounty.com.
