Chris, great post for the travel and tourism market. Don't forget that good CVB sites will include detailed maps, directions, photos, sample itineraries, up-to-date event calendars, and, of course, ad banner space to generate revenue. All this can be done on custom blog site, as you suggest, but in my neck-of-the-woods (East Coast US) the range would be more like $6,000. Thanks for posting!
I often think of lauching tactics without strategy as building a house without an architect - no comprehensive picture of the whole plan, and no way to determine if you are on track and making progress towards a successful end result.
Chris writes the shiny concrete polish salesman should be blogging "if his user base is online." However, he may be able to participate in discussions with key influencers if his direct users aren't online.