Heritage Tourism Coordinator

Belmont County Tourism; St. Clairsville (OH); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Belmont County Tourism seeks a Heritage Tourism Coordinator to connect visitors with Belmont County’s history and experiences. Based at the Black Horse Inn, you’ll support the Underground Railroad Experience and collaborate with museums, attractions, and partners.

The role requires strong communication, event coordination, and the ability to develop collaborative tourism programs while welcoming diverse visitors on a Tuesday–Saturday schedule.

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and time‑management abilities.
• Ability to coordinate multiple projects, schedules, partners, and priorities.
• Comfortable working with visitors, schools, volunteers, and tourism partners.
• Willingness to work Tuesday–Saturday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and occasional outside hours.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a welcoming, knowledgeable Belmont County Tourism representative and provide visitor services.
• Assist with daily visitor operations at the Black Horse Inn and Underground Railroad Experience.
• Provide information and recommendations on attractions, events, and lodging throughout Belmont County.
• Help establish the Black Horse Inn as a satellite visitor information location.
• Coordinate group tours, educational programs, and school/club visits.
• Develop heritage tourism experiences and engage partners across museums and sites.
• Support partnerships, programs, and community outreach to increase visitation.

Skills

Communication

Organization

Project coordination

Customer service

Public speaking

Teamwork

Education

Associate or bachelor's degree in tourism/ hospitality/ history/ museum studies/ education/ communications

Job description

Schedule: Tuesday–Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Reports to: Executive Director

Position Summary

Belmont County Tourism is seeking an enthusiastic, organized, and community-minded professional to serve as Heritage Tourism Coordinator. This position will help connect visitors with the people, places, and stories that make Belmont County unique while strengthening collaboration among the county’s museums, historic sites, attractions, and tourism partners.

Based at the Black Horse Inn in Morristown, the Heritage Tourism Coordinator will play an important role in the operation and visitor experience of the new Underground Railroad Experience at the Black Horse Inn, while also supporting heritage tourism initiatives throughout Belmont County.

The Heritage Tourism Coordinator is a full‑time position with regular working hours of Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Because tourism, community programs, and special events may occasionally occur outside regular operating hours, some schedule flexibility may be required.

The ideal candidate is a strong communicator and relationship‑builder who enjoys working with the public, developing programs and experiences, coordinating group travel, and bringing history to life in engaging and meaningful ways. This position requires someone who is equally comfortable welcoming visitors, working with community partners, coordinating a school or group tour, and developing new ideas that encourage visitors to explore more of Belmont County.

Key Responsibilities

Heritage Tourism & Visitor Experience Duties Include:

• Serve as a welcoming and knowledgeable representative of Belmont County Tourism and provide exceptional visitor service
• Assist with daily visitor operations at the Black Horse Inn and Underground Railroad Experience
• Provide visitors with information and recommendations about attractions, museums, events, restaurants, lodging, outdoor recreation, and other tourism experiences throughout Belmont County
• Help establish and maintain the Black Horse Inn as a satellite visitor information location for Belmont County
• Become knowledgeable about Belmont County's history, heritage attractions, communities, and visitor experiences
• Assist with tours, educational programming, special events, and visitor experiences at the Underground Railroad Experience
• Help ensure the museum and visitor areas are welcoming, organized, and ready for guests

Group Tours, Programming & Tourism Development Duties Include:

• Coordinate group tour inquiries, scheduling, itineraries, and communication with tourism partners
• Develop creative itineraries and packaged experiences connecting museums, historic sites, restaurants, attractions, lodging, and communities throughout Belmont County
• Build relationships with motorcoach operators, schools, senior groups, clubs, organizations, and other potential group‑tour audiences
• Assist in developing educational field trip opportunities and experiences for schools and student groups
• Identify opportunities to expand heritage tourism programming and encourage longer visitor stays
• Support special programs, exhibits, events, workshops, lectures, and other experiences that increase visitation and community engagement
• Assist with research and development of new heritage tourism experiences and initiatives

Partnership & Community Engagement Duties Include:

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with Belmont County museums, historical organizations, attractions, community partners, and tourism businesses
• Serve as a resource to local museums and heritage organizations by helping connect their stories and experiences to broader county tourism efforts
• Encourage collaboration and cross‑promotion among tourism partners
• Attend community, tourism, museum, and partner meetings as needed
• Represent Belmont County Tourism at tourism events, community programs, trade shows, familiarization tours, and other outreach opportunities
• Assist the Executive Director with heritage tourism projects, partnerships, and special initiatives

Marketing & Administrative Duties Include:

• Assist with developing visitor information, tour materials, itineraries, educational resources, and promotional content
• Help identify stories, programs, events, and experiences that can be promoted through Belmont County Tourism's marketing channels
• Maintain organized records related to tours, programs, contacts, partnerships, and visitor activity
• Track visitation, group tours, programming participation, and other information useful in measuring tourism impact
• Perform additional tourism and visitor‑service duties as assigned

Qualifications

Required:

• Strong communication, customer service, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent organizational and time‑management skills
• Ability to coordinate multiple projects, schedules, partners, and priorities
• Comfortable working with visitors, school groups, community organizations, volunteers, and tourism partners
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating as part of a team
• Strong writing and general computer skillsGenuine interest in history, tourism, museums, education, community development, or visitor experiences
• Availability to work the regular Tuesday–Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. schedule, with occasional flexibility for special events and programs outside regular hours

Preferred:

• Associate or bachelor's degree in tourism, hospitality, history, museum studies, education, communications, marketing, public relations, or a related field
• Previous experience in tourism, hospitality, museums, historic sites, education, visitor services, event coordination, or community development
• Experience coordinating group tours, educational programs, events, or public programming
• Familiarity with Belmont County and the surrounding region
• Experience working with museums, nonprofit organizations, community partners, or volunteers

Core Competencies:

• Warm, professional, and visitor-focused
• Strong relationship‑builder and collaborator
• Creative and enthusiastic about developing new visitor experiences
• Organized, dependable, and self‑motivated
• Curious and eager to learn and share local history
• Comfortable speaking with individuals and groups
• Flexible and willing to take initiative
• Passionate about strengthening Belmont County through tourism

The Heritage Tourism Coordinator is hired by the Executive Director of Belmont County Tourism Council, Inc. and approved by the Belmont County Tourism Council Board of Directors.

About Belmont County Tourism

Belmont County Tourism leads destination marketing, partnership development, and tourism initiatives that strengthen the local economy and promote the region's heritage, outdoor recreation, communities, and visitor experiences.

With Belmont County's growing investment in heritage tourism, including the new Underground Railroad Experience at the historic Black Horse Inn, this position offers an opportunity to help shape how the county's stories are shared with residents and visitors while building connections among the many museums, historic sites, attractions, and communities that make Belmont County a destination worth exploring.