The next step in promoting Wetumpka to tourists has come.
About six months after creating a full-time tourism position, the City of Wetumpka has named Andrew Stieb as tourism manager.
“Destination marketing is not new to me,” Stieb said. “I’m used to the goal of working towards promoting tourism.”
Many have identified possible attractions for tourists including history, the arts, the Wetumpka Impact Crater, outdoor recreation and the Coosa River. The Civil Rights Trail is close and fits in with the Elmore County Black History Museum.
“There is diversity here,” Stieb said. “We are not stuck with just one product to present to people. We have got a wonderful downtown area with shopping and restaurants.”
The options in and around Wetumpka have already primed the marketing machine.
“Communities have to look at ways to diversify and we already have that at our fingertips,” Stieb said. “We are very well set up to take this and run with it.”
Stieb came to Wetumpka nine months ago to work at the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce. Previously he was the Ft. Morgan Chamber of Commerce director where Season 2 of HGTV Hometown Takeover was filmed. Prior to that he worked in the hospitality industry gaining experience in what it takes to attract tourists.
“In Ft. Morgan there was the county tourism board working towards promoting tourism, economic vitality through tourism bringing in people to the community to spend money.” Stieb said. “The hotel I managed was in the mountains of Colorado.”
Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis believes Stieb’s experience will help the city develop tourism beyond a town highlighted on HGTV.
“The continued development of our tourism department and the hiring of a dedicated manager represent significant milestones in Wetumpka's journey towards becoming a premier destination,” Willis said. “With each step forward, the future shines even brighter for our city."
The public front of tourism in Wetumpka is in the Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery Center on Company Street. It is currently opened with volunteers from the Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission.
“We are still ironing out the kinks and what that will look like,” Stieb said. “It is something we will continue to develop.”
The Discovery Center will remain the home of everything about the crater but it will also be a hub for information helpful to visitors.
“Our goal is to create that as the official welcome center for Wetumpka,” Stieb said.
Stieb wants to work with any and all partners to highlight the opportunities in Wetumpka.
“This position presents an incredible opportunity to showcase the beauty and potential of our city to visitors from near and far,” Stieb said. “I am committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders to enhance the tourism experience and contribute to the economic prosperity of Wetumpka."
