Williamsburg Picks Up $50K State Tourism Grant

By Desiree Parker Friday, December 09, 2011

Williamsburg has picked up some tourism promotion grants from the state. One $50,000 grant will go towards marketing the area as a Christmas destination.

The Virginia Tourism Corporation announced Thursday it will award $635,000 in matching grant funds for various tourism initiatives across the state through its Marketing Leverage Grant program. The program aims to stimulate tourism marketing and increase visitor spending while leveraging limited marketing dollars. Local organizations will need to match state funds at least 3-to-1 for projects ranging from websites and social media to signage and advertisements.

“The VTC Marketing Leverage Grant program is an excellent resource for Virginia’s localities looking to boost tourism,” said Alisa Bailey, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. “The communities work together on projects that will have the most impact for the locality or region.”

In this round of grants, Williamsburg received $50,000 in funds to promote Christmas in Williamsburg. Added to another $50,000 from the VTC from a direct marketing co-op, the area has received the entire $100,000 a local coalition of tourism industry groups wanted to further their efforts to “own” Christmas.

Busch Gardens President Carl Lum pitched the idea to the James City County Board of Supervisors this summer when requesting $100,000 in funding from the county. At the time, 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 Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism 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. (Read a previous story on Lum’s presentation here).

The Alliance's Vice President for Tourism Bob Harris said the destination's efforts to market Christmas have been successful so far, with help from all local partners and the VTC. "We're very appreciative of the grant from the VTC," he said. "We will add it to part of our Christmas in Williamsburg campaign. Last year, the campaign had a budget of $140,000, and this year the budget grew to $390,000."

This extra money allowed television ads to expand from five- and 10-second spots that ran in the Washington, D.C., market last year to 15-second spots that ran this year in D.C. and also in Richmond, Hampton Roads and Baltimore.

"We were able to reach a much broader audience and tell them the Christmas in Williamsburg message," Harris said.

Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens are both reporting excellent visitation so far this season, he noted.

A joint partnership of several tourism organizations and destinations in the Triangle received a similar $50,000 state grant this summer to promote the America’s Historic Triangle ticket and vacation package.

The state grant program will also offer $5,000 jointly to Toano, Williamsburg, Providence Forge and Glen Allen to promote a Traditional Golf Trail 2012 program. Williamsburg will also benefit from the $5,000 grant for a Coastal Virginia Web Site Marketing Initiative called “COASTAL VIRGINIA LOVE: Using the power of the Internet to build Coastal Virginia Visitation.”

The next round of Marketing Leverage Program grants will open in spring 2012. Localities interested in applying should visit the VTC website for more information.