Downtown Tour Guides to Help Direct Visitors this Summer

The experience of touring Annapolis is about to get much more personal of newcomers.

At a press conference Thursday, local leaders and tourism officials unveiled a plan to place eight city "ambassadors"—tour guides on the streets of Annapolis—to help connect tourists with popular local attractions.

Connie Del Signore, the president of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Visitor's Bureau, said they have selected eight city and history experts to be ambassadors for newcomers to the city.

"The real charge for them is not to just point people to a destination, but to really take them to these places, so they can have an experience of everything we have to offer here," Del Signore said.

The announcement comes on the heels of National Tourism Week, which was solidified by formal proclamations from both Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen and Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman committing this week to promote tourism.

"For tourists not familiar with the town it would help to have a friendly face just saying, 'Hey this is Main Street, but are you aware of (the other) shopping districts?'," Cohen said. "To have someone like that making the visit a better experience is so important."

Del Signore said the visitor's bureau will operate the ambassador program from Memorial Day to Labor Day this year, as well as during the fall boat shows. She said she hopes to grow the program and evolve it based on feedback they get in the future.

Between 2010 and 2011, Anne Arundel County led the state in tourism money. Tourists spent $3.2 billion around the county in 2011, an increase of 7.2 percent, according to a report from Tourism Economics. The amount accounts for 22.2 percent of Maryland's total tourism industry sales.