Join us in Historic Old Town Alexandria for VA-1.
 eNewsletter for the Virginia Tourism Industry
August 2009 
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President's Notes

As we approach the VA-1 conference, named such because it enables us to share information, develop strong partnership strategies and speak for tourism with one unified voice, I want to thank all of you who have taken advantage of the many partnership opportunities we offer at VTC. 

By combining our marketing outreach with one voice, we are able to penetrate the market in ways we could not do on our own.  I challenge each of you to recruit one new potential partner to the conference.  New research, renewed information on our international markets and practical information on ways you can join us in marketing Virginia as a premier travel destination will empower us to beat out the competition. Also, we want to learn from our partners’ experiences -- you, the industry -- so that we can continue to develop cutting edge marketing opportunities to promote tourism in Virginia.   See you in September!


Alisa Bailey
Virginia Tourism Update   Tourism Dashboard
button VA-1
Register for VA-1
Registration is open for VA-1 Virginia's Travel and Tourism Conference. See the agenda here and click here to register. Hope to see you September 28-29, 2009 in Alexandria.

button Travel Guide Advertising
URGENT: VA Travel Guide Advertising
Final advertising space deadline for the 2010 Virginia Travel Guide is approaching!
Get on board now to reserve your advertising space in the 2010 Virginia Travel Guide. Ad sales close soon. Get more information here.


button Public Relations
Virginia Wine Month – Packages Needed
Now’s the time to start developing travel packages for Virginia Wine Month. Please post them to Virginia.org for PR to promote.

2009 Scenic Awards: A Call for Entries
Scenic Virginia is soliciting nominations for its 2009 Scenic Awards program, and the conservation organization is asking fellow Virginians to help identify worthy projects. The deadline has been extended to August 15! The downloadable 2009 Nomination Form contains full details.

Nominate Your Historic Destination
Each year The National Trust for Historic Preservation selects 12 distinctive historic destinations. The 2010 Dozen Distinctive Destinations nomination materials are now available. The deadline to apply is September 1, 2009. Nominate your community and be recognized as one of the most distinctive places in America

buttonVirginia.org Call to Action!
Fall Events and Packages Needed
Your Fall events and packages are desired for the Virginia.org Fall site. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to grab leaf-peepers! Log into the Administration Tool to enter your events.

Admin Tool Tip - Adding an Orchard or Farmers' Market
Submitting a farmers’ market or orchard? Find those categories under the "Activities" category with shopping! If you require assistance, contact Casey Higgins. Log in to the Administration Tool

Calling All Restaurants
The Virginia Green Restaurant Certification application can now be accessed through the Virginia.org Administration Tool. DEQ reviews all applications. Click for Details

Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts
Art and culture events that honor women happening between March and June 2010 are eligible to be included on the Minds Wide Open website. Events should be submitted through the Administration Tool and will in turn be fed to the MWO site. See the Instructions and Details for Minds Wide Open

button Virginia Welcome Centers
Summer Demo Days
Summer isn’t over yet and there is still time to showcase your destination or organization to the traveling public. Increase awareness and gain valuable hands-on exposure with Virginia visitors. No participation fees! Schedule your demo day soon and enhance your visitation. For more information on the Virginia Welcome Center Demonstration Program, visit www.vatc.org/csir/Demonstrations.asp or contact Jane Govoruhk at Jgovoruhk@virginia.org
Back-to-School Special – Graphic Display Panels Now Available!
Mid-year rates and payment options are in effect. These new display panels are available at the Clear Brook and Lambsburg Welcome Center locations and come in various sizes. For details and to see display panel options, please contact Jane Govoruhk at 804-545-5520 or Jgovoruhk@virginia.org. Reserve yours today as availability is limited.

button Partnership Alliance Marketing
VTC Marketing Leverage Program
The next round of VTC Marketing Leverage Program applications will open on September 29 with a December 1 deadline. For more information click here:
www.vatc.org/PAM/leverageprog.asp

Workshop Opportunities
Entrepreneur Express Workshops
Entrepreneur Express events are scheduled around the state in the coming weeks. For a complete schedule of dates and locations, click here: http://www.vastartup.org/

Virginia's Business One Stop system
The Business One Stop system will help you determine business formation requirements based on your specific type of business and business activities. Visit http://www.virginia.gov/bos/index.html

Next Help Desk
Meet with Virginia Tourism at The Prizery in South Boston on August 19, 2009. Get more information here.

buttonSales and Marketing
2010 VTC Travel & Consumer Show Program
The VTC Travel & Consumer Show program is about to start for the 2010 season. Space is still available. Last day to register is September 30, 2009. Get all the information and forms here.

buttonFollow us on Twitter
Join the Conversation!
  • Consumer: Travel Ideas, Discounts and Deals, Upcoming Events @VisitVirginia
  • Public Relations: Reaching out to Media and Bloggers @VATourismPR
  • Travel Industry: Announcements, News and Events @VATourismB2B

  Website Visitation
Through July 2009
up UP 7.1% YTD

Lodging Occupancy Rates
Through June 2009
DownDOWN 7.6% from same period of 2008

Car Rentals
Through June 2009
DownDOWN 6.6% from same period of 2008

Gas Sales
Through April 2009
down DOWN 1.8% from the same period of 2008
Click here to download the pdf for more information ...
bullet Virginia in the News

Southwest Va city sees creative surge
WTVR
More people are looking to re-create here the types of shops they've seen on vacation in other places, she said--and these small businesses are thriving...

.'VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS' MERCHANDISE
The Free Lance-Star
Forty years ago, Martin & Woltz staff members were brainstorming ways to promote Virginia tourism when a young copywriter suggested a slogan...

Parks are booming as people look for inexpensive vacations
Daily Press
"I can tell you that value has been a major driver in travel decisions," said Tamra Talmadge-Anderson, director of public relations for the Virginia Tourism ...

Year-round skiing in Virginia opening Aug. 29
Rocky Mount Telegram
But a year-round ski facility called the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre is scheduled to open in Lynchburg, Va., at Liberty University on Aug. 29. ...

The FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway organization is partnering with the Blue Ridge Parkway Association to sponsor a Blue Ridge Parkway specialty license plate in Virginia. The specialty plate features a photo of Mabry Mill .  Click here to learn more about Blue Ridge Parkway license plate program

buttonNew and Updated Virginia.org Features
New and updated features added to Virginia.org in the last few weeks are:

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You are receiving this email as a tourism industry partner of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. We will occasionally send email informing you of upcoming events, new programs or other information that may interest you about the Virginia tourism industry. If you would rather not receive these types of communications from VTC, send an email to webmaster@virginia.org with subject line Unsubscribe Dashboard.