By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post

True West magazine has named St. Joseph the “Best Historic Town Tour” of 2021.

“This award is a testament to your hard work and tenacity to be “The Best” in your category, and recognized by the people that love the West as much as you do. On behalf of the staff of True West magazine, we salute you for representing, preserving and celebrating the American West,” said Executive editor Bob Boze Bell.

St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman, Beth Conway, says it’s great news after a rough tourism season.

“We all know what 2020 has been like and, so, to get some good attention and affection from the editorial staff at True West towards the end of this year is amazing,” Conway tells St. Joseph Post.

Conway says it’s no secret the coronavirus pandemic wrecked tourism in 2020. She expects a rebound in 2021 and says the honor by True West magazine should help St. Joseph lure tourists, especially those wanting to visit smaller cities they can reach during a road trip. Conway says research indicates people want to get out again after being cooped up this year and they’re looking at road trips.

“They also are indicating that they’re ready to go back to cities, but they’re not quite ready for larger cities,” according to Conway. “They want to check out the smaller cities, where it’s less populated and probably a little bit more safe and we fit the bill for that. So, we’re hoping that with people getting anxious to get back out there that they consider St. Joseph, because we’re perfect for what they’re looking for.”

Conway says the True West designation is a great way to say goodbye to a tough year and look forward to a better tourism year.

“To be designated as a top tour town I hope will have some impact on us for next year, for tourism. We’re hoping to see an uptick in tourism after 2020 and this is a good way to kick off the year,”

True West magazine makes the designation for St. Joseph official in its January 5th issue.

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