Oklahoma Tourism, film company making road-trip films, including Route 66

Earlier this month, the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department and Broken Arrow-based Retrospec Films announced they would launch a year-long series of road-trip films, including Route 66.

On Wednesday, they uploaded a film that featured the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Pops in Arcadia and Living Kitchen in Depew — all along Route 66.

The previous week’s episode dealt with the Route 66 city of Tulsa — specifically Welltown Brewing, The Tavern and The Bull in the Alley.

In the first episode, Retrospec lays out the plan and pitches it to Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell:

According to a news release from Oklahoma Tourism:

 The Oklahoma Road Trip will consist of weekly episodes that feature the Retrospec crew visiting three Oklahoma travel destinations and events. Their stops will include small-town festivals, legendary restaurants and some of the state’s most beautiful places.
“I’m very excited about the launch of this project,” said Lt. Governor Pinnell, who also serves as Secretary of Tourism and Branding. “This series will highlight the rich and unique experiences that Oklahoma offers, in a fun and innovative way. From outdoor destinations, to amazing museums and award-winning restaurants and attractions, Oklahoma has it all. If you want to see America, then you’ve got to see Oklahoma.”

The videos, which typically are 6-8 minutes, go live each Wednesday on the TravelOK channel on YouTube.

The videos are sharply edited and produced — among the best I’ve seen. I’m looking forward to what they’ll do in the next 50-odd weeks.

The video series is part of an ambitious plan to make Oklahoma one of the top 10 states for tourism.

It’s a tall order; Oklahoma ranks No. 42 in the U.S. as a tourism destination. Tulsa World columnist Michael Overall wrote:

Raking in more than $90 billion a year, California makes the most money from tourism, followed by Florida, New York, Nevada and Texas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Virginia rounded out the Top 10 for tourism revenue with visitors spending more than $25 billion in 2017, according to labor statistics and the state’s tourism bureau.
To catch up, Oklahoma will have to grow tourism revenue by 280%.

(Image of the Rock Cafe’s neon sign by Chuck Coker via Flickr)