TEXARKANA, Ark. - In an events sponsored by U.S. Travel, the welcome centers of the State of Arkansas have scheduled a series of celebrations to welcome travelers upon Arkansas roads, letting them know about the attractions of the state and how those looking for adventure, relaxation or something to do can find it in the Natural State.
"Arkansas does this every year, around the first full week of May, to kick off the summer travel season," said Melissa Adams, welcome center administrator for all the Arkansas welcome centers, headquartered out of Little Rock.
"In a normal year, we get over a million visitors dropping in on our welcome centers," she said. "Last year, needless to say, it was down a bit, around 690,000 visitors coming to the centers."
According to Adams, like many other area authorities tracking the activities of folks, people seem really ready to get out of the house and do something. "Folks are really looking to travel this year," she said. "They especially are interested in outdoor attractions. Arkansas happens to be the kind of state blessed with an abundance of such features."
The welcome center out on I-30 has already noticed an uptick in the presence of visitors.
"This is our busiest travel center in the state, already our projections are considerably higher than a typical year," she said. "Just this past April, we recorded a 4% increase in visitors there. In April, the travel season has yet to really get going, as kids are in school, the summer weather is not yet taking hold and the like.
But already in April, we see that. We are expecting a record travel year."
The pandemic pullback of 2020 was not wasted by the staffs of Arkansas' welcome centers.
"We spent the downtime last year working on ways to accommodate the current travel climate," she said. "We've information helping them out on trips to enhance their travel experience. Want a day trip? We can help. Hikers? This is your state. Aviation. Agri-tourism. Our wonderful state parks. Want to learn to milk a cow or other farm tasks? You can do that here. Even those who live in the immediate area, if you are farm-curious, we can help."
The celebration at the I-30 welcome center goes through today, with giveaways and more. Red River welcome center on U.S. Highway 71 also has its own travel celebration today, with events all day.
(Arkansas Welcome Center rest area is located a few miles northeast of Texarkana, 10000 I-30, just past the Mandeville exit. It opens at 8 a.m.)