It's good to look back. We received a request today from the TN Department of Tourist Development for some of our 2020 media highlights -- any good travel stories about our destination or specific attractions that we could share. In spite of 2020 being, well...2020, Visit Clarksville scored some top-rate travel stories in local, regional, and national media outlets. I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some highlights with you. 

In a "normal" year, we host 8-10 journalists or travel bloggers who are either on assignment from a media outlet or are here at our invitation to write and share a Clarksville story with their audiences. In 2020, we hosted an Ohio blogger in February who was camping across Tennessee. (Read the fantastic blog about Dunbar Cave from Travel Inspired Living.) Little did we know she would be our last in-market writer for a full year. In March, a global pandemic drastically changed the travel industry along with life as we knew it.  

Human nature dictates that what we can't do is exactly what we want most to do. We couldn't go, so we dreamed. We planned. We evidenced this fact on our Visit Clarksville social media channels and website as people were seeking information about travel destinations more than ever. So, travel writers kept writing. They continued to connect with us for assistance with stories. We continued to engage with them proactively through emails and postcards, working hard to keep our destination top-of-mind, just like we've been doing for years. And let's face it, Clarksville has some exciting stories to tell. 

Here are a few that made me smile in the midst of all the chaos that was 2020. Some are the result of years of work or simply being responsive in a timely manner. Some are a bit of luck. PR is like that.