Southern and Southeast Ohio Unveil Unified Regional Tourism Brand

Recently, at Ohio Tourism Day at the Ohio Statehouse, regional leaders, tourism partners, community organizations and other stakeholders unveiled Ohio's Rolling Hills, a collaborative tourism brand representing counties across Appalachian Ohio.

Home to Ohio's only national forest, more than a dozen state parks, historic river towns, vibrant arts communities and some of the state's most dramatic landscapes, Southern and Southeast Ohio now share a common identity designed to strengthen tourism, support local economies and elevate the region on a national stage. The brand, called Ohio's Rolling Hills, will support tourism-driven economic development, strengthen regional collaboration and increase visitor awareness of Southern and Southeast Ohio.

This initiative was made possible through an Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA) led Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) POWER grant and brought together partners from across the Buckeye Hills Regional Council and the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission footprints to shape a shared vision for the future of Appalachian Ohio tourism.

"Ohio's Rolling Hills is bigger than any one organization or county and is intended to complement and amplify existing local tourism brands and community identities, not replace them," said Jessie Powers, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia. "Regional branding is one of the most powerful tools available to rural economies and this initiative creates a unified way to tell the story of Appalachian Ohio while supporting local economies, small businesses and community-driven tourism efforts."

Please select this link to read the complete press release from the new collaboration.