Oconee tourist marketing pays off–Visit Oconee

The pandemic has actually worked in favor of Oconee efforts to entice tourists to enjoy the county’s various outdoor attractions.  Ken Sloan, director of Visit Oconee, explains that while the airlines and major U-S destinations have lost vacationers, Oconee County has taken advantage of being a three-hour drive from both Atlanta and Charlotte.  “It’s a three-hour drive to get out in the forests, and it’s a very inexpensive vacation.  People don’t want to fly right now.  They don’t want to go to the major resorts, but they want to get their family in the car and drive 3, 4, 5 hours—to a place like Oconee,” said Sloan.  The Visit Oconee director says the county’s tourist promoters realized this early in the pandemic and focused their marketing efforts on those who live in the Southeast.  Advertisements promoting Oconee County outdoor adventures have appeared in Southern Living, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and a publication from the motor club AAA.