BP's $1 million donation to Vermilion Parish for advertising is doing its job

The Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission has learned what a $1 million of advertising can do for your parish.

After the well blowout by British Petroleum (BP) in the Gulf of Mexico,  BP donated $500,000  last year and this year to many parishes along the Louisiana coastline to help promote tourism. Vermilion Parish received $500,000 in the middle of 2011 and another $500,000 last year.

Alison Miller, head of the tourism department in the parish, helped create an advertising budget to spend the money.

In 2011-12 year  and this year, she ran display ads in national tourism magazines, along with regional magazines.  TV commercials played in northern Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and Texas.

Boy, thanks to BP’s money, there has been a big interest in Vermilion Parish.

Before the money, Miller was averaging 3,800 requests    a year about the parish.  She only had $13,000 a year to spend in advertising to promote Vermilion Parish. While  $13,000 sounds like a not, it is not considering  a small ad, 1/6 of a page size, in one monthly issue of Southern Living Magazine cost $4,000.

So, with only a budget $13,000 of advertising before BP, Miller received only 4,000 requests about the parish from out-of-staters.

Now, with  the BP money,  Miller has received 38,000 requests from all over the United States last year.  This year  the tourism department is expected to get 30,000 requests.

When she gets an out of town or state request for information, she mails the person back information about the parish, places to visit in the parish and the  calender of events that are happening in the parish.

“It has been busy,” said Miller. “We have gotten a lot of requests about the parish. They see the ads in the magazines and call wanting more.”

Over the last year, Miller has noticed a surge in the tourism’s web site page and phone calls.

People want to see alligators, meet Liz (who lives near Pecan Island) of Swamp People and eat Cajun food, she added. 

“Yes, in my opinion, people are visiting Vermilion,” she said. “There have been people to walk through my door than in years past. BP’s money is helping promote Vermilion Parish.”

There is also a chance the parish could received another $500,000 next year from BP.

“That would be great. Any money to promote Vermilion Parish would be a great thing,” Miller added.