State funds awarded to tourism programs in region

To kick off National Travel & Tourism Week, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that more than $3.27 million in matching grant and sponsorship funds will be awarded to 268 tourism programs as part of Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Marketing Grants programs. 

These funding programs are designed to leverage local marketing dollars with matching state funds to increase visitation and traveler spending through 2025. This funding cycle, local partners will commit more than $9.2 million to match the VTC funding, providing more than $12.5 million in new marketing and event production activity focused on increasing overnight visitation to Virginia across all nine GO Virginia regions. The funding will be awarded to 268 marketing programs, ultimately impacting 1,230 combined partners. 

“VTC’s marketing and sponsorship programs are powerful incentives creating tourism partnerships across Virginia that are a robust part of Virginia’s economic ecosystem,” said Youngkin. “Across the Commonwealth, the tourism industry recognizes the importance of having inventive strategies to showcase all that Virginia has to offer. These grants will support those efforts and help draw thousands of additional visitors to the Commonwealth to experience everything that makes Virginia so special.”

Grant recipients include the Abingdon Convention & Visitors Bureau, which received $13,140 for Abingdon Storybook Guides and $11,700 for Going Above & Beyond. Friends of Southwest Virginia, based in Abingdon, brought in $14,600 for SWVA group tours.

In Bland, Bland County Tourism received $11,680 for The Big Picture. Meanwhile, Eupepsia Wellness Resort received $25,000 for “the Taste of Wellness with the Goodness of Nature in the Heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge.”

The funding included $5,091.75 for the Hillsville VFW Labor Day Weekend Flea Market. Another $5,840 was dedicated to the Carroll County Agricultural Fair. Hillsville also received $11,680 for the Carroll County “It’s Cooler in the Mountains” program.

The town of Damascus received $11,680 for “Find Your Way to Adventure in Damascus.”

Nine Floyd County entities received funding. Tuggle’s Gap Roadside Inn received $3,350. The town took in $6,052.50 for its summer Small Town Summer event series. Floyd Tourism received $6,052.50 for “Floyd on 2 Wheels.” The Floyd Country Store received $13,000 for “A Community Thriving on Living Traditions for 40 years.” The Floyd Center for the Arts received $6,865.30. Floyd County received $18,000 for Floyd Fusion: Amplifying Art, Culture and Adventure. Floyd Yoga Jam received $9,000 and Floyd Small Town Fall Festival received $4,500.

FloydFest received the most money in Floyd, taking in $20,000.

The City of Galax Tourism received $18,000 for Rhythms & Routes. The group received $14,600 its “Galax Bound” initiative. The 88^th annual Old Fiddlers Convention took in $7,300.

Grayson County Tourism took in $10,400 for its “Grayson Buck Wild” initiative. The town of Fries received $4,875 for “Fries: Where music rises with the mountains.” The Grayson Ag & Art Adventure received $3,650. Grayson County Tourism took in $14,600 for “The Three A’s: Outdoor Adventure, Agritourism and the Arts.”

In Marion and Smyth County, funding was granted for two phases of the Smyth County Tourism Association’s “Mount Rogers: Virginia’s High Point” initiative. The first phase, granted to the town, was $14,600. The second phase was given $21,272.94.

Visit Tazewell County received $13,000 for “Welcome to the Gateway of Appalachia.” The Tazewell County Chamber of Commerce received $10,000 for “Eat, Drink, Explore Tazewell County.”

Round the Mountain Artisan Network received $20,000 for its marketing campaign. Friends of Southwest Virginia received $29,250 for its Greatest Stories Marketing Campaign. Also in Washington County, the Virginia Highlands Festival received $9,000 and another grant for $14,600. Fiddlin’ at the Fairgrounds received two grants, one for $1,800 and the other for $3,650.

In Wythe County, Richdale Farm received $2,000 for Fall on the Farm for Everyone. The Wytheville Convention & Visitors Bureau received $29,250 for “Leading Visitors Beyond the Exits: Virtual Tools for Planning,” and $14,600 for “Visit Wytheville From Stopover to Destination.”

VTC will have a Microbusiness Marketing Leverage Program grant round opening in Summer 2024 designed to assist small tourism-oriented businesses and organizations, such as Main Street Organizations, with Fall and Winter marketing initiatives. Another round of the Virginia Special Events & Festivals Program will open mid-2024 for events that will occur in 2025. The next round for the Marketing Leverage Program and the Virginia DMO Marketing Grant Program will open February 2025. Organizations and businesses that are interested in applying for these grant opportunities may visit vatc.org/grants for more information.