Harrisonburg Tourism and Visitor Services has received $20,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation Recovery Marketing Leverage Program,.
Harrisonburg Tourism and Visitor Services will use the VTC Recovery Marketing Leverage grant funds to promote visitation to Harrisonburg – specifically highlighting Harrisonburg’s more than 250 restaurants, six craft breweries and numerous attractions.
Harrisonburg’s marketing program for the grant is entitled “Eat.Drink.Love in Harrisonburg, VA” which is a play on the state’s Eat.Drink.Love. marketing campaign.
“The grant is a wonderful opportunity to use marketing dollars from the state to highlight Harrisonburg’s amazing culinary scene and attract more visitors,” Harrisonburg Tourism Manager Jennifer Bell said. The City received the top allotment amount in the grant program.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the tourism and hospitality industries in Virginia. As the Commonwealth slowly reopens for business, VTC offered these grant funds as a first step to re-entry into the marketplace to spur economic activity and future travel across Virginia. More than $860,000 in matching grant funds were awarded to 64 local tourism initiatives through this program.
“The tourism and hospitality industries have been among the hardest-hit by the pandemic, experiencing decreased revenue and job loss, along with the temporary closure of many tourism-related businesses,” Gov. Ralph Northam said. “These funds will help to revive Virginia’s tourism economy, which will help spur new economic activity and inject critical funds back into its communities.”
Harrisonburg Tourism and Visitor Services serves the citizens of Harrisonburg by promoting the city as an attractive tourist destination, providing promotional materials to showcase Harrisonburg, working with travel professionals to schedule meetings and conferences and managing the Hardesty-Higgins Visitor Center.
Tourism works to support local businesses and the local economy through encouraging tourists to patronize Harrisonburg businesses resulting in increased lodging, meals and retail tax revenue.
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