Two of the best ways to get more information about a destination before traveling to it are 1) ask locals or other people who have visited and 2) check with the convention and visitors bureau or tourism organization for that destination.
Did you know you can do both at once? Twitter allows you to connect directly with thousands of people who know about the place you’re planning to visit—including CVBs and tourism organizations.
If you aren’t already familiar with Twitter, it is a social networking site and “micro-blogging” service that allows users to send and read each others' updates, called “tweets.” A tweet is a post of up to 140 characters of text (hence, the term “micro-blogging”) that you post for others to read in real time. People “follow” you to see your latest updates on Twitter, and you can follow others in order to see their updates.
By following the Twitter updates of a CVB, you can find out more information about that destination (such as upcoming events) and even tweet any questions you have directly to the CVB.
Over the next two days we will share a list of 90 CVBs and historic downtowns from all 50 U.S. states that are active on Twitter. Many of these are for more off-the-beaten-path destinations that have much to offer in the way of rich history and culture. Follow them and give them a tweet to find out the latest happenings before you travel!
AlabamaTuscaloosa—
VisitTuscaloosaAlaskaFairbanks—
InsidealaskaArizonaScottsdale—
ScottsdaleazFlagstaff—
VisitFlagstaffWilliams/Grand Canyon—
bestofroute66ArkansasFort Smith—
FortSmithCVBCaliforniaMonterey County—
SeeMontereySan Francisco—
OnlyinsfLong Beach—
VisitLongBeachColoradoDenver—
iknowdenverColorado Springs—
VisitCOSHistoric Downtown Boulder—
downtownboulderConnecticutNew Haven—
VisitnewhavenDelawareSouthern Delaware—
VisitSouthDelDistrict of Columbia—
destinationdcFloridaMiami—
MiamiandBeachesTampa Bay—
VisitTampaBayWest Palm Beach—
PalmBeachCVBGeorgiaAlpharetta—
AlpharettaCVB Hawaii—
HawaiiHTAIdaho—
visitidaho
IllinoisChicago—
ChooseChicagoAlton—
VisitAltonCentral Illinois Region—
CentralIllinoisIndianaHamilton County—
8GreatTownsElkhart County—
AmishCountryDowntown Muncie—
munciedowntownIowaCedar Falls—
CedarFallsCedar Rapids—
CedarRapidsCVBKansasLawrence—
VisitLawrenceKentuckyLouisville—
gotolouisvilleHenderson—
tourhendersonkyLouisianaNew Orleans—
NewOrleansCVBMaine—
visitmaineMarylandBaltimore—
BaltimoreMDAnnapolis—
VisitAnnapolisMassachusettsNantucket Island—
VisitNantucketWorcester—
destworcesterMichiganBattle Creek—
BattleCreekCVBAnn Arbor—
AnnarborareacvbDowntown Rochester—
RochesterDDAMinnesotaMinneapolis—
MeetMinneapolisWillmar—
WillmarLakesMississippiColumbus—
columbuscvbHancock County/Bay St. Louis—
mswestcoastFor even more Twittering towns, check out Twitter travel directory
Twisitor Center.
Is there a CVB on Twitter that helped you plan a trip? Post a comment about them below!KariKari Rippetoe is the Marketing Manager at Heritage Travel, Inc., a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.