Destination Oconee granted $200K

A comprehensive tourism plan to brand and market Oconee County has been granted $200,000. Thanks to the Local Legislative Delegation and the South Carolina Heritage Corridor, Destination Oconee has funds to work with, explains Mountain Lakes Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Ken Sloan. “It started with State Senator Thomas Alexander, who was able to find $100,000 for us from the state. We determined that we could use that money as matching funds towards a federal grant that we found through the Heritage Corridor. So we have been granted $200,000. The whole point of getting that money was to invest in the Destination Oconee plan that we just finished. We are looking at signage, developments, grants and other things to stimulate the major components of Destination Oconee.” The 200-page Destination Oconee initiative was approved earlier this year by both county and municipal governments within Oconee County.