MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — The city of Marshalltown is launching a new tourism initiative in celebration of the city's diversity.
This new tourism identity—"Meet In Marshalltown" or "Nos Vemos en Marshalltown"—is a bilingual campaign, with materials in English and Spanish.
The goal of the campaign is to be inclusive of more Marshalltown residents and making sure Spanish speakers feel represented.
The Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce and other residents who worked on the re-brand hope all people feel seen and included by the campaign.
"I want to accurately tell the story of Marshalltown and often times, we've been reactive or allowed other people to say who we are," said Dylan Does, the tourism director for the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce. "Often, I'd say 90% is inaccurate and 10% is exaggerated. Really, who we are is something quite unique."
America Zaragoza is a long-time Marshalltown resident. Her parents are small business owners in the city and she said she feels honored she was asked to help advise on this campaign. Does said Zaragoza was a crucial partner for the project.
"It's been an honor to see our culture represented and spoken about," Zaragoza told Local 5. "We always know it's there but it's not always acknowledged and to see that we're now being acknowledged, it's an amazing feeling."
Does said there's still work to be done on the campaign.
Next, the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce said they're working on marketing campaigns to promote the campaign to more communities. In addition, they're expanding their social media like Facebook and Instagram, as well as websites in both in English and Spanish.
You can find more information on the campaign here.