Bath native starts work in tourism office

Hot Springs, Va. – A young Bath County native has returned home to work supporting tourism in the county. Celine Finel is Tourism Coordinator in the Office of Tourism in Bath County. She’s making the transition from college life to the working world in her first full time job out of school.

“I’ve learned that it’s still a lot of hard work,” says Finel. “In school it was a lot of hard work, but it still is. It’s different in the work world. You get to see more of the inside of how things are planned and how they’re put together and how much work it actually takes to put something together, like a brochure. In talking to someone in school, they don’t know all the work that actually goes on inside. They think they’re done with school and it’s just easy going from there, but it’s not. You still have to be on your toes and I still even look at some stuff I did in school just to get ideas.”

Finel is the daughter of Michel & Karen Finel. Her mother was born and raised in Mountain Grove and her father has been the Executive Pastry Chef at The Homestead for over 30 years. Finel is a 2005 graduate of Bath County High School. She has an Associates Degree from Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and a Bachelors Degree from Radford University. Finel majored in Recreation, Parks and Tourism, with a concentration in Tourism and Special Events. And with a degree that could take her anywhere, why does she want to be in Bath?

“Because it’s Bath County,” says Finel. “It’s home. I’ve moved around a lot. Pretty much every year I’ve moved to a different area and nothing is like Bath County. And having the opportunity to come here and have a job, I’m lucky. It’s beautiful here, my family is here. People here are great. I’ve met a lot of people going to different areas, but they’re not like the people from back home.”

Finel completed a college internship in Bath’s Office of Tourism and began working as Tourism Coordinator in mid September. In her job, Finel maintains a number of different websites, works on promotional material and various projects.

“Well one of the things I’ve definitely learned by working here is everything Bath County has to offer,” says Finel. “You know growing up everyone has the idea there’s nothing to do in Bath County, but there is so much to do. So much outdoor recreation, there’s hiking trails between Douthat, Lake Moomaw, Hidden Valley, the scenic overlook. There’s a ton of hiking opportunities, fishing, anything outdoor, we have it here. There’s more events going on than I ever imagined that we have. Pretty much every weekend there’s something going on. It’s a great area to live in and people, they just don’t realize by living here, they just pass by something every day and it just takes a minute to stop and realize everything Bath County has to offer. And it’s a beautiful area and we are lucky to be here.”

Celine Finel can be reached at 540-839-7202. Bath’s Tourism Office is located in the courthouse in Warm Springs. For more information on Bath County, visit the website, discoverbath.com.