The wind beat city officials to the punch Tuesday at unveiling part of a new "Wish You Were Here" campaign aimed at highlighting Little Rock's tourism attractions.
As a light gust blew through Riverfront Park, it removed a black plastic sheet that covered a postcard-themed sign before Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau representatives were ready to announce the installation at a morning news conference.
The sign -- set up like an empty picture frame -- is positioned in front of the Junction Bridge Pedestrian Walkway so that park visitors can pose behind the sign for a photo with the bridge as the background.
"Greetings from Little Rock," the top reads. "Junction Bridge -- Wish you were here!"
Two similar postcard signs are placed at other Little Rock attractions near the banks of the Arkansas River. One is on the east end of Riverfront Park with the Clinton Presidential Center in the background and the other features the Big Dam Bridge.
"We have installed three of these permanent fixtures for residents and visitors to encourage additional ways to share and enjoy their time spent here in Little Rock," the bureau's President and Chief Executive Officer Gretchen Hall said.
"We hope these will inspire people to capture their Little Rock experience and share it with friends and family via social media using the hash tags #LittleRock and #WishYouWereHere."
Recommendations from friends and family are still one of the top reasons leisure travelers visit different cities, Hall added.
Richard Davies, the executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, said people don't realize how diverse Arkansas is and what all Little Rock has to offer. Trout fishing is 45 minutes north, duck hunting is 30 minutes east and mountains are just half an hour away, he said.
"We always say if we could just get people here one time, we'll have them. And I can't tell you, I wish I had a dollar for every time I've seen a card or letter or an email from somebody saying about Arkansas or about Little Rock: 'I had no idea.' And I just go, well yeah," Davies said.
In 2014, Arkansas welcomed 26 million visitors who spent $6.7 billion in the state, he said. That equates to $460 million in state and local taxes paid by visitors.
"If you divide that by the population of Arkansas, that's more than $100 per head that you all didn't pay in taxes because a visitor paid it for you," Davies said.
The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau organized Tuesday's unveiling of the new signs to recognize National Travel and Tourism Week. The bureau also launched its "Wish You Were Here" campaign with a social media contest that began May 2.
Every day through Sunday there will be clues given on the agency's Facebook page -- Little Rock, Arkansas -- and Twitter account -- @LittleRockCVB -- directing people to a Little Rock attraction. The first person to take a selfie at the destination and post it to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #WishYouWereHere will be the winner for the day and receive a prize.
Each daily winner will be in the running for the grand treasure hunt prize at the end of the contest.
"Travel is about adventure. It's about making memories and having lots of fun, but it's also about creating American jobs. It's also about boosting our local economy and it's about creating and increasing the quality of life for residents and everyone to enjoy," Hall said. "We want to encourage exploration of Little Rock."
Metro on 05/06/2015