Governor Rendell Assembles Top Notch Tourism and Economic Development Experts for Destination PA Conference

Speakers Will Include Leaders from National Geographic and the Allegheny Trail Alliance

    HARRISBURG, Pa., March 6 /-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell has secured a high profile cast of experts in the field of place-based tourism and economic development for "Destination Pennsylvania: The Governor's Conference on Tourism," May 4-6 in Gettysburg.

    "It is my goal to offer a valuable experience for our community builders and tourism professionals on how to transform the assets of their communities into a tourism experience that will boost the economy and create jobs," Governor Rendell said. "We want to fill this conference with representatives from the fields of conservation and green initiatives, Main Street and small businesses, along with community leaders."

    The program is designed to foster a dialogue connected to the following topics: "Developing and Promoting Character of Place," "Balancing Place, Preservation and Progress," "Turning Character into Commercial Opportunity," and "Creating an Entrepreneurial Culture."

    Speakers for the conference will include:

    -- Jonathan Tourtellot, director of National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations. Tourtellot is the editor of TravelWatch magazine and is credited with originating the concept of "geotourism."

    -- Bill Strickland, CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation and its subsidiaries, Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and the Bidwell Training Center. Strickland has excelled in cultivating collaborative partnerships in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Baltimore and Kansas City. He also serves as a consultant in the field of art and arts education, community development and workforce development training.

    -- Pres Kabacoff, CEO of HRI Properties, a full-service real estate company and national leader in the adaptive reuse of historic structures. Kabacoff is a member of Urban Land Institute's Public-Private Partnership Council and an advisor to the Brookings Institution's Urban and Metropolitan Policy Program, one of the nation's first public policy research organizations.

    -- Linda McKenna Boxx, president of the board of the Allegheny Trail Alliance has worked to negotiate land donations, design the trail, supervise construction, and organize volunteer efforts to remove debris for the Great Allegheny Passage connecting Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland.

    -- Thomas Miller, vice president, Business for Diplomatic Action, or BDA, an effort to enlist the U.S. business community in actions to improve the standing of America in the world. The BDA is a private-sector led non-profit comprised of communications, marketing, political science, global development and media professionals.

    For more information about the conference, visit http://destinationpa.visitpa.com or call (866) 966-9801.

    The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit http://www.governor.state.pa.us.

    CONTACT:

    Chuck Ardo

    717-783-1116

    Michael Chapaloney

    717-720-1301 (DCED)