National Folk Festival in Richmond, Oct. 13-15
The National Folk Festival is coming to Richmond, Oct. 13-15, 2006.  Opportunities exist to exhibit in one of the two Virginia Tourism tents during the Festival.  One tent will focus on the music heritage of Virginia, and both tents will feature Jamestown 2007 communities and their events.  Last year’s festival attendance was more than 70,000.  Projections for this year’s attendance are more than 100,000.  Reach thousands of potential visitors to your region while promoting your Jamestown 2007 events. If you are interested in exhibiting, contact Kimberly Petersen at 804-545-5540 or kpetersen@virginia.org.  Space is limited so do not delay.

VTC's New Ad Agency
VTC has selected BCF of Virginia Beach as the new advertising agency of record. See www.VATC.org for contact information and future updates on submitting co-op materials. Welcome BCF!

New Yorker Co-Op
Due to lack of industry participants in the fall New Yorker magazine co-op, the VTC sponsored section has been cancelled.

New MapQuest Features on Virginia.org
Attractions, Accommodations and Dining icons now appear on MapQuest maps of destinations listed on Virginia.org. The new icons show visitors just how close local amenities are to your destination. Plus, your destination appears on other destinations' maps. To see how your listing looks on MapQuest: (1) Pull up your listing in Virginia.org (2) Click on "What's Nearby" in the right-hand column (3) Your destination appears as a Red Star on the map.

Crash Course in Group Sales - Sept. 29
Virginia Motorcoach Association offers "A Crash Course in Group Sales" on Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hotel Roanoke preceding the VMA's annual meeting, Sept. 29-Oct. 2. Fee is $40 for VMA members; $140 for non-members. You will be refunded $100 when you join the VMA. For registration and more information, contact VMA Executive Director Linda Morris at 434-376-1150. You can also download the Registration Form from VATC.org.

New Features on Virginia.org
New and Updated Features on Virginia.org include: August in Virginia; August Winery Events; 36 Fall Walking Tours; Covered Bridges in Virginia; Fly Fishing in Virginia; NASCAR in Virginia; Great Virginia Channels; National Folk Festival in Richmond; Theatres in Virginia; Corn Maze Craze & Apple Pickin' and Virginia County Fairs. Plus, more of your Getaways are being added every week, too. Thank you!

Sales Leads from 2006 International PowWow
Sales leads are available from the 2006 International PowWow in Orlando, Fla., on May 6-10, 2006. Please contact Kimberly Petersen at kpetersen@virginia.org or 804-545-5540.

Media Exposure Through NPC Donations
The National Press Club’s scholarship fund for aspiring journalists of color will go live on Aug. 21 and conclude on Sept. 12. The silent auction will be held at the NPC in the week before the 5K is held and will end on race day, Sept. 9. The Club also would like to offer certain gifts as prizes to top finishers and teams – or specifically to media teams, if that’s a goal of the donor.  If you have donations you’d like to make, August 15 is the deadline – contact Richard Dunham at
Richard_Dunham@businessweek.com. The NPC promises to be liberal with publicity.

VTC Brings Travel Journalists to VA
Reminder to DMOs and industry partners – keep the PR office up to date on your latest and greatest so they can share your news with the national media.  For example, last month the Virginia Tourism Corporation brought seven travel journalists to Virginia to experience The Crooked Road and the Mountain Stage concert in Bristol.  USA Today also accepted VTC’s invitation to Virginia, and that article is expected out in early August.  The PR team continues to work to bring travel writers and editors from across the country in to see the best of what Virginia has to offer.  Questions? Contact Martha Steger, Tamra Talmadge-Anderson, or Richard Lewis for help.

Virginia Named #8 in the Nation for Filmmaking
Virginia has been named one of the 10 best states in the nation for filmmaking by P3/Production Update Magazine, a well-respected publication that reaches virtually all of our target market of those involved in on-location filmmaking. This is a great honor for Virginia! Read the entire story at
/film/P3TopTen.doc

Merchandise of the Month

100% cotton scoop-neck sleep shirt. 37" long. Printed with large 1-color "Virginia is for Lovers" logo on front. One size fits most. Colors: Azalea Pink, White, Black, Frost Pink, Frost Sky, Violet or Yellow. $18.



Go to the Virginia is for Lovers Shop to order.

Website Visitation
Through June 2006
UP 44% YTD

Virginia Welcome Center Visitation
Through June 2006
DOWN 10.2% YTD

Lodging Occupancy Rates
Through June 2006
UP 0.5% over same period of 2005

Car Rentals
Through June 2006
UP 4.9% over same period of 2005

Gas Sales
Through April 2006
DOWN 0.2% from the same period of 2005

Click to download the PDF for more...

Best of the Best Virginia Destinations

Busch Gardens Williamsburg
The best theme park in the world is in Williamsburg, according to voters at www.ThemeParkInsider.com. Busch Gardens Williamsburg - now known as Busch Gardens Europe - won over other parks from around the world. Last year's winner was Tokyo DisneySea. Did you know that the Williamsburg park also has been named "The World's Most Beautiful Theme Park" by the National Amusement Park Historical Association for the past 16 years? Congratulations!

VTC is looking for other mentions in the media for the Best of the Best in Virginia. If your destination has received a distinction from the media, please contact Sandy Westmoreland at swestmoreland@virginia.org for an ongoing feature article on Virginia.org.

Admin Tool Tip

Adding and Updating Listings
Everyone likes to save time.  With that in mind, before you create a new listing, first check your User Account and the website to see if the listing already exists to avoid duplications and extra work.  If the listing is currently in your account, simply click “Make Changes” so that you may begin making any updates to the listing.  Also, delete any listings from your account that you will not be updating, and delete those for businesses that have closed. For questions, please contact Angela Wiggins at 804-545-5553 or awiggins@virginia.org.

If you have comments or suggestions for future issues of The Dashboard please contact Sandy Westmoreland at swestmoreland@virginia.org or 804-545-5557.

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