Belmont County Tourism Council

What Belmont County Tourism Council does

Belmont County Tourism Council is a non-profit destination marketing organization founded in 1983 and headquartered in St. Clairsville, Ohio (office located inside the Ohio Valley Mall). The council operates the "Visit Belmont County" brand to promote tourism within Belmont County, Ohio, serving families, business travelers, group tours, and heritage and history enthusiasts seeking Appalachian outdoor recreation, Revolutionary War-era historic sites, fairs and festivals, and family-friendly attractions.

The council's core product is the Visit Belmont County website (visitbelmontcounty.com), a WordPress-based content platform featuring a blog, event calendar, places-to-stay/eat directories, and digital visitor guide integration. Supporting offerings include a digital and printed Visitors Guide (hosted via Issuu), the Belmont County Bigfoot GeoTour geocaching experience, a newsletter subscription, and the Tourism GAP Grants Program. Distribution is digital-first across website, email, and six social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube).

The business model is non-commercial: the council is funded through local government allocations and the Tourism GAP Grants program, with no fee-for-service products or pricing. Revenue mechanics are not commercially disclosed. Customer segments are horizontal — visitors are the end audience, while local tourism-dependent businesses (lodging, dining, attractions) are the indirect beneficiaries of the council's promotional activities. The organization operates with 1–10 employees and has no parent company, no investors, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Belmont County Tourism Council

Legal name

Belmont County Tourism Council

Website

https://belmontcountyohio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Belmont County Tourism Council is a non-profit destination marketing organization founded in 1983 in St. Clairsville, Ohio, that promotes tourism to the county via its Visit Belmont County website, digital and printed visitor guides, and a Tourism GAP Grants program for local tourism development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

City Squares, Old Towns & Landmark Districts (THAJACAJ), Conservation Parks & Private Nature Reserves (Visitor Operations) (THAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Destination marketing organization
• Tourism promotion services
• Visitor information resources
• Travel planning guides
• Community tourism grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Clairsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tourism Promotion Services: Operates as a county tourism council funded through local government allocations and potentially Tourism GAP Grants. Revenue model is not explicitly commercial as this is a destination marketing organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Belmont County Tourism Council is a non-profit destination marketing organization that promotes Belmont County, Ohio, as a tourism destination. It provides free visitor information, event calendars, accommodation and dining directories, a digital and printed visitor guide, and the Belmont County Bigfoot GeoTour, and administers the Tourism GAP Grants program.

Product overview

The Belmont County Tourism Council operates a single unified tourism website (Visit Belmont County) that serves as the primary platform for visitor information. The offering includes the main website with integrated features such as an events calendar, places to stay/eat/do directories, and a newsletter signup. Supporting products include a digital/printable Visitors Guide, the Belmont County Bigfoot GeoTour (a geocaching experience), and the Tourism GAP Grants Program for local tourism development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visit Belmont County Website
• Belmont County Visitors Guide A digital and printable visitor's guide featuring Belmont County attractions, accommodations, dining options, and events, available for online viewing or physical request by mail.
• Belmont County Bigfoot GeoTour A geocaching-themed tourism initiative featuring over 20 Bigfoot-themed geocache containers placed throughout Belmont County. Participants can earn a Belmont County Bigfoot geocoin by finding 20 hidden caches.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Destination Cleveland: Regional convention and visitors bureau promoting tourism for the Cleveland area in Ohio. Comparable as a county/region-level DMO promoting local attractions, accommodations, and events through digital channels, though operating at a larger scale and budget.
• Visit Pittsburgh: Regional DMO promoting tourism to the Pittsburgh region of Pennsylvania. Shares the same destination marketing model, multi-channel digital presence, and reliance on lodging/hospitality tax funding.

Direct peers

• Visit Loudoun: County-level tourism organization promoting Loudoun County, Virginia. Closely comparable as a rural/suburban county DMO with a heritage + outdoor + agritourism mix, multi-channel digital presence, and visitor guide distribution.
• Visit Hershey & Harrisburg: Regional DMO combining heritage, attractions, and events marketing in central Pennsylvania. Comparable operating model — destination marketing org promoting accommodations, dining, events, and attractions.
• Visit Bend: Destination marketing organization for Bend, Oregon. Comparable as a smaller-market DMO with strong emphasis on outdoor recreation, digital visitor guides, and event calendar promotion.

Others

• Simpleview: Leading CRM and website platform provider specifically built for destination marketing organizations. Many DMOs of this size and type rely on Simpleview's technology stack, making it an ecosystem peer.
• Groundspeak (Geocaching.com): Operator of the global geocaching platform that powers the Belmont County Bigfoot GeoTour. Relevant as the underlying infrastructure provider for the Council's most differentiated signature product.

Broad incumbents

• Travel Ohio (Ohio Tourism Office): State-level tourism marketing organization for Ohio. Belmont County Tourism Council operates under the broader state tourism framework, and Travel Ohio provides state-level promotion that funnels awareness to Belmont County.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/visitbelmontco1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwpER55NCAW8iQD0qETR__g?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/belmontcountytourism/?ref=bookmarks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/belmont-county-tourism-council/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/belmontcountytourism/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@visitbelmontcounty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Belmont County Tourism Council