A new blog launched by the Convention & Visitors Bureau is designed to share some of the best photos of the Springfield area shared by Instagram users.

LoveSpringfield has been in the works for a few months and officially introduced as part of National Travel & Tourism Week May 3-11.

The blog at www.LoveSpringfield.co showcases images and stories posted on Instagram by local residents and visitors. The idea behind the blog is to allow the CVB, a nonprofit marketing agency promoting Springfield as a travel destination, to tell the city’s story through the eyes of people experiencing it firsthand. Each image also includes the story behind the photo.

Along with posting the photos online, the CVB will showcase prints of some of the images at Swagbot during First Friday Artwalk. The first images were presented May 9.

The blog is the brainchild of Sean Dixon, interactive media manager for the CVB, who says it’s a way for the CVB to work smarter, not harder to show off the city.

“Why take 1,000 photos when you can ask 1,000 people to each share one great photo?” Dixon said.

So far, about 50 images have been posted with more to be added when they’re discovered.

The bureau also maintains two other blogs. Posts on the blog at www.springfieldmo.org/blog are about things to see and do in Springfield and posts at www.IssuesAndInfo.com focus on news and business information about the travel industry.

The CVB is a nonprofit organization dedicated to boosting the local economy by promoting travel and tourism to Springfield. For more information, contact the CVB at 417-881-5300 or 800-678-8767 or visit www.SpringfieldMO.org.