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Your Natchez History Minute is brought to you by Natchez National Historical Park.
On this day, January 22, 1972, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Natchez voted
to create a Natchez-Adams County Tourist Promotion Commission. The Commission was given the responsibility
to establish, promote and develop tourism, including the construction of a convention
or civic center and to receive and expend revenues from any source in an effort to meet
its goals.
From this Commission evolved the development of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, better
known as the CVB, whose official purpose follows that laid forth by the Promotion Commission—marketing
the City of Natchez to visitors, worldwide. Currently, the resulting number of annual
visitors to Natchez is 670,000.
In 1998, with funding support from the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the City opened
the $3 million dollar Natchez Visitor Reception Center which provides tourism-related customer
service for visitors delivered by the staff of: the Convention and Visitors Bureau,
Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, and the State of Mississippi—whose presence supports an official
state Welcome Center. In addition to supplying a “Welcome to Natchez” introduction, the
site is the official location for brochures and ticket sales for Natchez-related events
and activities.
Extensive displays—and a 20-minute film—provide the visitor the historical importance of Natchez
and a timeline presenting the evolution of the city for the last 300 years. The facility
also serves as offices for the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Natchez National Historical
Park, and provides a bookstore/gift shop. The Natchez Visitor Reception Center is a
veritable one-stop shopping destination for all tourists. The Convention and Visitor Bureau
is the driving force behind the 2016 Tricentennial Celebration and we welcome you to Natchez!
Hello, I’m Kevin Kirby, CEO of the Natchez Convention and Visitor Bureau, and this has
been your Natchez History Minute.