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JCC Ready to Pitch in 100K to Help Triangle 'Own' ChristmasBy Desiree Parker Wednesday, August 10, 2011 James City County plans to give $100,000 of its new tourism promotion fund to help market Christmas events in the hopes of creating the first destination in the state to “own” Christmas. Busch Gardens President Carl Lum pitched the idea to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday afternoon at their work session, with the support of Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance President Dick Schreiber. The county only established the fund in the new fiscal year, which started about a month ago, using $280,000 it carved from its annual contribution to the Alliance.Lum told the board that about 42 percent of Americans travel during the holidays, and that people shop, dine and spend at this time of year. He said the intent is to create the new brand “Christmas in Williamsburg.” This is a phrase and website the Alliance came up with and promoted last year. “No other destination in the state ‘owns’ Christmas,” Lum said, and the Historic Triangle is well on the way to being that destination with all the events, attractions and shopping available during the season. Lum said the goal is to have $1 million, made up of $100,000 in funding from the Virginia Tourism Corporation, $150,000 from the Alliance, $100,000 from James City County and the rest from Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg and possibly other Triangle partners in order to draw visitors from Washington, D.C., Norfolk and Richmond. There are 5 million people in Washington, D.C., and many more in the other two closer cities, Lum said. These would be the target of the marketing plan that includes broadcast, print, digital, direct marketing and display ads as well as web and social media. Busch Gardens is willing to work with local hotels to create promotional packages for the Christmas season, Lum said, to feature tickets for the third year of Christmas Town combined with hotel stays. The park will also increase its annual marketing funding for the season by 25 percent. Schreiber said the Alliance’s Christmas in Williamsburg website had over 20,000 unique visitors last year. “If we give it a chance, it can get to be a big deal,” he told the board. Board member Jim Kennedy said he was concerned that the other localities in the Triangle weren’t pitching in on the deal yet, and that James City County had tried and failed at efforts to create Christmas events in the past. He wanted reassurance that the county would benefit. Supervisor John McGlennon echoed Kennedy and said he hoped Busch Gardens would make an effort to get participation from the other localities. Schreiber and Lum both pointed out that more visitors to the area will result in more sales, meals and room taxes for the county. Lum said his staff would help the county plan its own Christmas event. The board asked Lum to return and offer them hard data to show the plan’s success after the season is over. He agreed, and said the data would be easy to compile by combining park information and county tax numbers. The board talked about possibly stringing holiday lights artfully along Route 60 to the entrance to Busch Gardens in the winter. Lum offered to sweeten the deal by suggesting the county go in with the park to buy Christmas lights more cheaply, and he offered to store the lights for the county afterwards. The board told staff they supported the plan, and Lum said the media buys need to be complete by Labor Day. |
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Comments
The tax collected, the $100,000.00 in question was explained during the work session, by law a certain amount of money collected from the tourism industry must be re-invested in tourism. The Historic Triangle region has been doing this for years. The money comes from a cut to the Alliance of over $200,000.00 last year. So Patriot, in essence you aren't being taxed directly unless you live in a hotel and dine out nightly. I know it's hard sometimes when the facts get in the way.
If that's the case, I'm less than impressed with the idea. You'd think people would have learned from TARP and all the other Government handouts.
Like Speaker Boehner said, the American people know best how to spend their money. If James City residents want to contribute money to Busch Gardens, then go right ahead. Don't tax me to do it, though.
"Owning Christmas"? What a horrible, sacrilegious thought.
Just another reason to throw out the Board of Supervisors.