LEBANON — High gasoline prices, road construction and several soggy weekends didn't stop nearly 5 million vacationers from visiting Warren County this year.

        The Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates travelers spent more than $463 million in Warren County in 2000, despite a drop in attendance at the county's two biggest tourist draws. Tourism, one of the leading sources of income here, pumped about that much money into the county's economy last year.

DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS

• Paramount's Kings Island • The Beach Waterpark • The Dude Ranch • Little Miami Scenic Trail • Waynesville Sauerkraut Festival • Ohio Renaissance Festival • The Tennis Masters Series • Kroger Senior Golf Classic • Caesar's Creek State Park • Fort Ancient State Memorial • Glendower State Memorial • Warren County Historical Society Museum

        “Without giving firm numbers, all signs point to us having a slightly better year than we had last year,” said Margaret Drexel, the bureau's marketing director. “Some of our signature attractions, like Kings Island and The Beach, fell short of their attendance expectations, but that was offset by our other attractions and events, some of which reported record-breaking years.”

        Ms. Drexel credited the success of Warren County's less-familiar attractions to an aggressive marketing campaign launched by the bureau earlier this year.

        The convention and visitors bureau heavily marketed “soft adventure” attractions, such as The Dude Ranch in Morrow and the Little Miami Scenic Trail, as well as “heritage events,” such as the Waynesville Sauerkraut Festival and the Ohio Renaissance Festival in Harveysburg.

        The expanded marketing plan targeted travelers in a 50- to 150-mile radius and included radio promotions in Indianapolis, Lexington and Louisville. Also, a 30-minute infomercial marketing Ohio that featured six minutes about Warren County was seen in more than 30 markets.

        Marketing wasn't the issue at Paramount's Kings Island, the crown jewel of Warren County tourism. The Mason amusement park expected huge crowds this season as it introduced Son of Beast, the world's tallest and fastest looping wooden roller coaster.

        But even Son of Beast couldn't overcome the weather. Rain fell on more than 40 percent of Kings Island's operating days, park officials estimate, causing attendance to dip 4 percent, from 3.3 million in 1999 to 3.2 million this year.

        Other new park features, including the Halloween extravaganza, “Fearfest,” were cheered by visitors and are expected to drive in bigger crowds in 2001.

        The Beach Waterpark in Mason also was hit by the cool, rainy weather. The Beach, which draws about 350,000 visitors annually, reported a slight drop in attendance but recorded one of its best-ever revenue years.

        Tourists took to Warren County's trails with increased frequency this year.

        Gary Green, owner of the Dude Ranch, learned there were more cowpoke-wannabes in the Tristate than he thought when he opened two years ago. Bookings for horseback cattle drives and trail rides are up by about 50 percent over 1999, Mr. Green said.

        The Little Miami Scenic Trail reported a 5 percent increase in its traffic flow. More than 420,000 people used the 70-mile paved pathway this year for hiking and biking, according to the convention and visitors bureau.

        Meanwhile, the Waynesville Sauerkraut Festival drew a record 300,000 hungry visitors and 400-plus vendors from 22 states.

        More than 200,000 tourists walked the 30-acre “English Village” at the 11th annual Ohio Renaissance Festival. Despite several rainy days, organizers reported record attendance during three out of eight weekends.

        The county's signature sporting events — the Tennis Masters Series and the Kroger Senior Golf Classic — also had good years in both attendance and revenues.

        A total of 169,829 fans attended the Masters Series event in Mason this year. The crowds were down from 1999 by 2,048 for the 11 days — and 1,294 for the main draw. Tournament officials blamed rain.

        The Kroger Senior Golf Classic drew more than 100,000 fans during the seven-day event.

        Ms. Drexel said several factors helped drive tourism in Warren County this year, including the cost of gasoline.

        “I think the increasing price at the pump forced a lot of people who were planning those long drives to Florida to stay closer to home, which really helped us,” she said.

        Ms. Drexel said the bureau will continue its efforts to increase awareness of Warren County as a tourist destination. She said the bureau also will focus on keeping the Tennis Masters Series, which generates about $20 million annually, in Warren County. Tourney officials have been considering moving the event to another Tristate locale.
       

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