Southern states are banding together to promote civil rights tourism across the region.

Fourteen states including all of the Deep South are joining to promote the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. It's a tourism website and campaign that will highlight about 130 sites linked to the modern civil rights movement.

The joint effort is being unveiled as part of the MLK holiday weekend.

Individual Southern states have used such promotions for years. But Alabama tourism director Lee Sentell says the states have never before joined together in a single push to bolster civil rights tourism.

Most states participating in the promotion are part of Travel South USA, which is funded by state tourism agencies. The organization has launched civilrightstrail.com and is placing advertisements to promote the trail.