Dorchester Banner/Jill Jasuta
The Dorchester County Visitor Center offers visitor information about the area and exhibits about Dorchester County’s heritage.[/caption] CAMBRIDGE — Dorchester County Tourism has released a report detailing its marketing efforts in fiscal year 2015, which ended June 30. One of the highlights of the report is the growing amount of positive media coverage related to visiting the county. Dorchester Tourism promotes the county as a place to visit through media relations, paid advertising, social media, email marketing, website content, and more. “This year, we’ve had an unprecedented number of positive stories in regional and national media,” said Amanda Fenstermaker, director of Dorcherster Tourism, in addition to ongoing coverage in the local media. She pointed to multiple mentions in USA Today, as well as Capital Region USA naming Cambridge one of “10 fun riverfront towns” (the only one on the Eastern Shore) and one of “8 picturesque coastal towns.” In addition, the Baltimore-based Examiner and the Mid-Atlantic Day Trips blog both did a series of stories on various attractions in the county. There have been numerous other stories in a range of media, Ms. Fenstermaker said, such as Baltimore magazine, Philadelphia Sun, and Prop Talk. “Dorchester is on a roll,” Ms. Fenstermaker said. “These stories show us that Dorchester County has built up good momentum in what it offers visitors, from lodging to restaurants to outdoor activities. The great press coincides with the ‘Water Moves Us’ marketing campaign that we launched a year ago, as well as our increased focus on media relations with help from Choptank Communications, based here in Dorchester.” The goal of the marketing efforts is not only to bring more attention to Dorchester County, but to bring more funds here as well, Ms. Fenstermaker explained. “Tourism is vital to the local economy. In a typical year, the tourism industry in Dorchester sees sales of more than $150 million. Tourism-related businesses also provide more than a fifth of Dorchester County’s jobs.” Dorchester Tourism purchases advertising in various print and online media. In the past fiscal year, according to the report, ads promoting visits to the county appeared in the Washington Post (print and online), AAA World magazine, Coastal Living, Southern Living, Good Housekeeping, and other media sources. To request a free copy of the Dorchester Tourism Marketing Recap, e-mail info@VisitDorchester.org, call 410-228-1000 x 10, or download it at VisitDorchester.org.