Area welcome center reports rise in visitors

The Texarkana, Ark., Welcome Center serves as the front door to Arkansas, and 290,000 tourists have stopped at the center this year so far, said Melissa Adams, manager of the center.

In 2017, 275,000 people stopped at the Texarkana facility.

The numbers are gathered by visitors who come through the front door. The visitors who stop to rest but don’t enter the main building don’t count for the yearly totals, Adams said.

The center celebrated the “National Travel and Tourism Week May 8-10.”

Texarkana, Ark., Mayor Ruth Penney Bell presented a “National Tourism Day” proclamation.

The welcome center staff helps visitors to plan their stops in Arkansas.

“The Welcome Center promotes tourism and businesses, introduces visitors to all the wonderful things available in our state, and points out all the natural beauty of the State of Arkansas,” Penney Bell said.

The Welcome Center employees help people find interesting locations for recreation, sightseeing,, and general directions around the state and teach people about all the opportunities which our state—the ‘Land of Opportunity’—offers.

The staff visits the travelers and “talks to them” instead of questions them, Adams said.

“We use good southern hospitality to get information and help them plan their vacation in Arkansas,” she said.

Staff photo by Jim Williamson ■ Shelley Keith sings with the Hempstead County Melody Boys Wednesday morning at the Texarkana Welcome Center east of Texarkana, Ark., along Interstate 30. In the background Jerrome Underwood plays the guitar and sings. The performance was part of the...