Mansfield, OH – Partners of Richland County’s tourism industry gathered at the Historic Ohio State Reformatory today for the Destination Mansfield-Richland County 2025 Annual Meeting. The annual event held at the world-famous Ohio State Reformatory, brought tourism and community leaders together to celebrate achievements, recognize excellence, and look forward to new opportunities. This year’s theme, “Raising the Bar,” reflects the region’s continued commitment to growth and innovation in tourism.
2024: A year of Big Events
“As is tradition, we gave a nod to last year and unveiled plans for the coming year”, explained Destination Mansfield-Richland County President, Lee Tasseff. “2024 was a year of big events (Solar Eclipse, Inkcarceration and Shawshank30 and a full schedule at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) that put our community on a big stage, and we had to step up to meet that challenge.”
2025: Featuring Ohio Bird Sanctuary’s New Facilities
This year, one of the main features of the county’s tourism economic development agency is the Ohio Bird Sanctuary with its new Avian Encounters Area, enhanced Visitors Center and expanded Avian Hospital.
“In addition to the cover of the Visitor Guide, a gorgeous set of photos and videos are being utilized in digital, print and social media marketing campaigns”, added Tasseff. “Each year we present a unified image, so we look coordinated in the marketplace. The Ohio Bird Sanctuary with their new facilities, provided that for us.”
Social media campaigns will feature clips from Shawshank30, a Zoomer vs. Boomer Challenge series, and posts putting a fun spin on the Main Street Corridor project.
Recognizing Excellence
The Tourism Award of Excellence was created in 2005 to honor individuals, businesses, and organizations that significantly enhanced the tourism experience in Richland County. Recipients are selected for their outstanding service, creative contributions, and lasting impact on the area’s visitor economy.
According to Board Chair Fred Boll, “Those being honored help the Destination Mansfield team promote the already astonishing array of assets in Richland County into the travel marketplace to attract more or maintain visits.” This year’s Tourism Award of Excellence recipients include:
· Black Fork Brewing in Shelby
· Historic Ohio State Reformatory – Hancock Heights Historic Houses & Escape Rooms
· Valley Media Productions – The Sunday Songwriter Series
· BrandRichland – Community Branding Video
· Ohio Bird Sanctuary - Avian Encounters Area, Avian Hospital and Visitor Center Expansion
An award-winning Economic Development Corporation, Destination Mansfield-Richland County adds wealth to the local economy through tourism and raises the profile of Mansfield & Richland County around Ohio, the nation and the world. A local employer with four full-time staff, Destination Mansfield-Richland County uses the talents of volunteers to accomplish its mission. Its website can be found at DestinationMansfield.com.
Richland County’s tourism industry is a major part of the local economy, serving as its sixth largest employer, providing 5,212 jobs with a payroll of $123.8 million. Driven by overall visitor spending of $457.4 million annually, the industry generates $13.4 million in local tax revenue to relieve tax burden on residents, while helping fund valuable city and county services and resources.