Augusta County has expanded its Marketing & Expanded Facilities Grant Program to include facility improvement projects as well as the traditional marketing initiatives that have been awarded in years past.
Both types of projects must be intended to increase tourism visitation numbers. For the purposes of tourism, visitors are considered individuals who travel more than 50 miles to reach a tourism business or event.
The program will be a competitive process. The maximum grant award for any one program is $5,000 for marketing projects and $10,000 for expanded tourism facilities projects, but lesser amounts can be awarded depending on the applications received. Augusta County has allocated $20,000 for the 2019-2020 Program.
Possible eligible marketing programs include events, fairs/festivals, marketing and social media applications, design and printing services, as well as other marketing projects promoting the Augusta County tourism industry. If an event occurs outside of July 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020 but eligible initiatives regarding the event such as marketing, design or printing occur during the time range, those initiatives are eligible to apply. Possible expanded tourism facilities projects must demonstrate the ability to increase visitation. Tourism facility expansion work may span between 2018-2020 with a concentration in 2019.
Marketing projects or initiatives of existing projects must be new, and applications will be evaluated based on viability of bringing in visitors from outside the region, possibility of encouraging off-peak travel, strength of marketing and promotional plan, creativity and partnerships with and promotion of other Augusta County businesses (if applicable). Tourism facility expansions will be judged on viability of bringing in visitors from outside the region, ability to expand/enhance program offerings and/or visitors experience, opportunity to increase sales, and preservation or enhancement of existing tourism destinations.
The deadline to submit applications is July 26th, 2019 at 5:00p.m. Applications will be reviewed, and winners will be selected by the Augusta County Economic Development Committee.
“Augusta County supports all facets of the local economy,” said Gerald Garber, Chair of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors. “Large and small businesses alike are the backbone of our community, and we appreciate the investment of small business owners.”
“The growth of tourism in Augusta benefits our entire County,” added Carolyn Bragg, Vice-Chair of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors. “We’re excited about the opportunity to support those efforts and are encouraging creativity, partnerships, and a focus on increased tourism visitation.”
Those interested in applying for the Augusta County Tourism Grant Program may contact Augusta County Tourism staff at [email protected] or 540-245-5619.
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