Governor Ralph Northam today announced more than $890,000 in matching grant funds will be awarded to 57 local tourism initiatives as part of the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Marketing Leverage Program.
The MLP grants are designed to help local and regional tourism entities attract more visitors by leveraging limited local marketing dollars through a local match of the state grants funds. This funding cycle, local partners will commit more than $4 million to match the VTC grants, providing more than $4.9 million in new marketing funds to increase travel to Virginia. The grants will ultimately impact at least 232 other statewide tourism entities.
“Tourism continues to be one of the fastest-growing and most innovative industries in Virginia, proving to be a substantial revenue generator year after year,” said Governor Northam. “Across the Commonwealth, tourism businesses recognize the importance of having inventive, strategic marketing initiatives 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—our scenic beauty, exciting restaurants, historic sites, music venues and festivals, charming small towns, oysters, wine, craft beer and more.”
The VTC Marketing Leverage Program is designed to increase visitor spending by leveraging limited marketing dollars, stimulating new tourism marketing through partnerships, and extending the “Virginia is for Lovers” brand. A minimum of three Virginia entities must partner financially to apply for a grant. Partners may consist of Virginia cities, towns, counties, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, other local or regional destination marketing organizations, private businesses, museums, attractions, cultural events, and other tourism-related businesses. In total, VTC awards approximately $1.7 million annually—matched and leveraged on average 3:1 by partner dollars.
“The Marketing Leverage Program grants continue to inject critical funds into communities across the Commonwealth, helping to make Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “The tourism industry is a huge economic engine for Virginia. Last year, visitors spent $25 billion, which supported 232,000 jobs and contributed $1.73 billion in state and local taxes. By leveraging these marketing funds and public-private partnerships, the Marketing Leverage Program grants will help spur even more economic activity, funneling dollars back into our cities and towns across Virginia.”
The next round of VTC Marketing Leverage Program grants will open on September 5, 2018, with a November 7, 2018deadline. Localities interested in applying may visit www.vatc.org for more information.
Marketing Leverage Program grant recipients
| Program Name | Lead Partner | Award Amount |
| 2019 State Games of America | Virginia Amateur Sports | $25,000 |
| 36 hours in Charlottesville Wine Country | Early Mountain | $5,000 |
| A Family Tradition Continues: Sinkland Farms | Sinkland Farms | $8,750 |
| Adjust Your Altitude | Heart of Appalachia Tourism Authority | $50,000 |
| Agritourism Branding and Update of Marketing Materials and Images | Fort Lewis Lodge & Farm | $7,725 |
| An Abingdon Christmas | Barter Theatre | $5,000 |
| Artisans of Virginia Reaching Beyond | Artisans Center of Virginia | $5,000 |
| Birthplace of Country Music – Mobile Marketing Initiative and Campaign | Birthplace of Country Music | $25,000 |
| Bridge the Gap | SoLace Studios Fine Handcrafts | $2,500 |
| “Come, Find Home” Marketing Campaign | Montgomery County Regional Tourism Office | $17,500 |
| Creek Bottom Brewing Marketing Leverage Program | Creek Bottom Brewing | $2,424 |
| Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center | Scott County Economic Development Authority | $50,000 |
| Digital Marketing and Influencers in the Outdoors | Roanoke Outside Foundation | $25,000 |
| Discover Bristol Outdoor Recreation Marketing Initiative | Discover Bristol | $10,000 |
| Discover the Town of Floyd | Town of Floyd | $2,900 |
| Divinely Placed: Marketing the Waynesboro Experience | City of Waynesboro Economic Development & Tourism | $50,000 |
| Draper is for Dreamers | Pulaski Grow | $23,400 |
| Exploring Taste of Blue Ridge’s Food Scene through Video and Photography | Nibblins LLC | $25,000 |
| Fall Home to Tazewell | Tazewell Area Chamber of Commerce | $5,000 |
| Find Your Outdoor MUSE in Shenandoah County | Muse Vineyards | $10,000 |
| Find Your River Fun in Virginia’s River Realm | Town of Kilmarnock | $10,000 |
| Fish Virginia First—For Your Freshwater Fishing Adventures | Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism | $3,500 |
| Floyd Yoga Jam 2018 | Floyd Yoga Jam | $5,000 |
| Get Lost in the Gap | Town of Pennington Gap | $5,000 |
| Giles County Engaging Visitors to Find Their Playground in Virginia’s Mountain Playground™ | Giles County Tourism | $7,549 |
| Grayson County Online Ad Campaign | Grayson Highlands General Store & Inn | $9,100 |
| Harrisonburg International Festival & Community | Community Mediation Center DBA FairField Center | $10,000 |
| Join the Adventure | Trailhead Adventures | $5,000 |
| King Street Waterfront Park Launch | Visit Alexandria | $25,000 |
| Live the Mountain Life | Tazewell County | $5,000 |
| Martinsville Speedway – Spring 2018 | Martinsville Speedway | $25,000 |
| Marts and Arts: Pulaski’s Downtown Activation Campaign | Town of Pulaski | $1,000 |
| Maximizing the 2019 Commemoration for America’s Historic Triangle | Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. | $25,000 |
| New Connections | William King Museum of Art | $5,000 |
| Peaches and Pickin in Patrick County | Patrick County Chamber of Commerce | $7,400 |
| Reaching the Traveler Digitally | Wytheville Convention & Visitors Bureau | $25,000 |
| Regional Amp-up: The Crooked Road’s Mountains of Music 2019 | The Crooked Road | $25,000 |
| Rooster Walk 11 Music & Arts Festival | Rooster Walk Inc | $10,842 |
| Rooted in the Past, Growing to the Future: Diversifying Abingdon’s Brand Identity | Abingdon Convention and Visitors Bureau | $48,720 |
| Salty Southern Route – The Path to Virginia’s Pork & Peanuts | Salty Southern Trail | $22,247 |
| Shenandoah Valley Epic Experiences | Shenandoah Valley Travel Association | $25,000 |
| Shocktober 2018 | The Arc of Loudoun at Paxton Campus | $5,000 |
| The Annual Green Top Outdoor Expo | Green Top Sporting Goods | $25,000 |
| The Commonwealth Coastal Classic | Norfolk Festevents, Ltd. | $25,000 |
| The heART of the Alleghany Highlands | Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism | $30,000 |
| The Virginia Historical Society’s Event Spaces | Virginia Historical Society | $25,000 |
| Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival | Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest | $5,000 |
| Tom Tom Founders Festival | Tom Tom Foundation | $25,000 |
| Traditional Blue Ridge Music Cultural Kick-Off | Blue Ridge Institute and Museum | $5,000 |
| Trailblazing Art! | Taubman Museum of Art | $25,000 |
| TransVirginia Bike Route | Village to Village Press, LLC | $9,481 |
| Virginia Creeper Trail: Heading into the Future | Virginia Creeper Trail Club | $10,000 |
| Virginia Foothills | Montpelier | $25,000 |
| Virginia MOCA Exhibition – Todd Schorr: Atomic Cocktail | Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art | $2,500 |
| Visit Waynesboro’s East Main District | Blue Ridge Bucha | $5,000 |
| Walk to Freedom: The Mary Draper Ingles Story | The Long Way Home, Inc | $5,000 |
| Waterford Fair | Waterford Foundation Inc. | $3,000 |
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