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‘Lincoln’ wins Oscars, brings out tourism

Posted at 8:20 PM, Feb 25, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-26 06:56:33-05

PETERSBURG, Va (WTVR) - Steven Spielberg made Lincoln. Daniel Day Lewis won the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of the president. Now the Petersburg and the surrounding communities are hoping to cash in on the film's Academy Award success.

Already groups are making plans to stop in Petersburg and "Walk in Lincoln's Final Footsteps," a new tourism effort by Petersburg Area Regional Tourism.

They kicked off the regional tourism campaign Monday with a new website and brochure.

"I've been looking at it the last two days, its been guiding a lot of what I've been doing," tourist Candis Cotter said. "That's what made it more compelling to me, was it's now I know, I'm walking where he walked."

Related: LINCOLN wins Oscars, now follow the LINCOLN Movie Trail

"The movie is telling people, hey there's real history in Petersburg, in Hopewell and we're just enabling people to see it and feel it,” Martha Burton with Petersburg Area Regional Tourism said.

Burton said the area should not only see new faces through the tourism effort, but see it in their bottom line, with sales tax revenue, meals tax revenue and lodging tax revenue.