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 Advertising Announces New Media Plan
In mid-February on vatc.org, the release of the July 2010-December 2011 co-op media plan will be unveiled.  Order the 2010 Travel Guide in BulkEncourage overnight guests at hotels and B&Bs to extend their stay by placing a 2010 Virginia Travel Guide in your guestrooms. Order bulk quantities on-line at www.vatc.org/admin/mailform/mailformPublications.htm. Guides are boxed 36/box and will be shipped free to your establishment.  Hot Virginia.org Needs
Submit your events, packages and discounts to the Virginia.org listing submission system. Current needs are Spring Break 2010, Easter (April 4, 2010), Historic Garden Week (April 17-25, 2010) and Outdoor related events. Questions? Contact Casey Higgins.  Visitor Center Seminar - Registration Coming Soon!Don’t forget to save the date for April 13th and 14th. We’ll be in Hampton for the 2010 Local Regional Visitor Centers Seminar and look forward to seeing you there. Check back for details and registration on www.vatc.org. Grand Re-Opening of the Virginia Welcome Center – ManassasVTC in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Transportation, is pleased to announce the re-opening of the VWC-Manassas. The official date for re-opening is March 17, 2010. Read more here www.vatc.org/WelcomeCenters/VWC_Manassas.asp  Welcome Center Advertising Product of the Month! In support of the Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary, reserve a translite (lighted graphic display) at either the VWC-Bristol or VWC-Rocky Gap for ONLY $750! Or Save $750 on a graphic display panel at the VWC-Lambsburg! For more details contact Jane Govoruhk at 804-545-5520 or jgovoruhk@virginia.org.  Group Tour Itinerary PlannerDMOs, we need your help! We are working with Leisure Publishing on the 2011 Virginia Group Tour Itinerary Planner which will again provide suggested themed itineraries from throughout the state. Here’s your chance to be visible and showcase your destination for new and repeat business! Get more information on how you can submit your itineraries here.  Group Lead Reports Available Leads available that were generated from the AAA Carolinas-Superbowl of Knowledge, November 21, 2009 in Charlotte, NC as well as the North Carolina Motorcoach Association Conference, Durham, NC; January 29-31, 2010. Please contact Robin Mamunes at rmamunes@virginia.org  Tradeshow PartnershipsSpace is limited! Partner with Virginia Tourism at ASAE & The Center’s Springtime Expo held May 27, 2010 in Washington, DC. Contact Joni Johnson for more information.  Gateways Network Announces FY10 Deadline for Grant Application
The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network has received an appropriation for fiscal year 2010, and will be soliciting proposals for Gateways Grant projects. Complete details on the submission requirements are included in the Grant Guidelines available on the Gateways web site at http://www.baygateways.net/grants.cfm  Event Fundamentals Workshop February 20, 2010, Virginia Intermont College, Bristol, VA. Learn how to develop, plan, market and profit from your event. For more information, click here - http://www.festivalnews.info/pdf/Workshop-Brochure.pdf  Adventure Tourism Entrepreneur WorkshopSave the Date! April 9, 2010, Norton, VA. Are you interested in launching an adventure tourism business in Southwest Virginia? This workshop is for you! For more details and to register, click here http://www.vastartup.org/register/events/70 Entrepreneur Express WorkshopsEntrepreneur 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 systemThe 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  Time Travelers ProgramThe Virginia Association of Museums Time Travelers program is expanding to include a long-term, keepsake passport guidebook. The "Time Travelers Passport Guide to Virginia Museums and Historic Sites" is designed to promote visitation to Virginia museums and to also provide revenue for the museums. Get more information.  MINDS WIDE OPEN Celebrates 10 in 2010 As part of the Statewide MINDS WIDE OPEN promotion, we will give away 10 arts themed travel packages. Each of the 10 packages highlight some of this year's most exciting events. Details on the sweepstakes and entry information coming soon to: www.vamindswideopen.com  Blue Ridge Parkway License PlateThe 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. Learn more about Blue Ridge Parkway license plate program. Virginia.org Admin Tool TipYour response to our requests for new events, packages and deals has been outstanding! Thank you for partnering with Virginia.org in such a big way. We are experiencing a high volume of new submissions and appreciate your patience while we review each one. Our current turn-around time for listing approvals is two business days. Questions? Email chiggins@virginia.org.  Follow us on Twitter Join the Conversation! 
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Website Visitation Through January 2010  DOWN 11.4% YTDLodging Occupancy Rates Through December 2009 DOWN 5.8% from same period of 2008 Car Rentals Through December 2009 DOWN 5.4% from same period of 2008 Gas Sales Through September 2009  UP 0.6% from
the same period of 2008 Click here to download the pdf for more information ...  Virginia in the NewsRest stops to reopen by April, McDonnell says Tidewater News McDonnell said closing the facilities affected public safety, tourism and economic development. “The darkened rest stops presented an image of Virginia ... Alisa Bailey is the state's No.1 tourism promoter Richmond Times Dispatch Alisa Bailey, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corp., has focused on rural areas and Southwest Virginia. Career: Consumer consultant and education ... Blue Ridge Parkway trip prize includes Roanoke stops Roanoke.com The Virginia Tourism Corporation is sponsoring an online contest that will send a family of four on a seven-day road trip down the Virginia leg of the Blue ... Va. film industry might get new script RichmondBizSense “This year, Governor McDonnell has come out in support of tourism and film,” said Mary Nelson, communications manager for the Virginia Film Office. ... McDonnell pushes job-creation program Richmond Times Dispatch He also wants to resume funding the business-incubator program and increase funds for the Virginia Tourism Corp. by $3.6 million a year for the next two ... Kalahari Resorts: $25 million recovery zone facility bonds jump start ... Wisbusiness.com The $260 million project, planned for the Celebrate Virginia tourism district which spans 2400 acres along the Interstate-95 corridor between Washington DC ... Virginia is for oysters: Head to Chincoteague Island for delicious mollusks ... New York Daily News City oyster lovers stuck paying too many clams for a slurp of the ocean's top aphrodisiac should toss their shucker in the backpack for a road trip down to ... New and Updated Virginia.org Features New and updated features added to Virginia.org in the last few weeks are:  Not on the
email list?Sign up for the Dashboard. If you have comments or suggestions for future issues of The Dashboard please contact Mary Bishop at mbishop@virginia.org or 804-545-5556. Who are these faces? Meet the staff here. |
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True to his word, our new Governor, Bob McDonnell, proposed various economic development investments to help Virginia create more jobs and a stronger tax base. Among his proposals are two budget amendments for VTC — one for film and one for tourism. With an overall commitment to double the VTC budget during his four years, he recommends $3.6 million per year for the VTC budget and $2 million for the Governor's Motion Picture Opportunity Fund. Furthermore, working with the legislative leadership and Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, proposed HB 861 and SB 257 would provide for a tax credit incentive for film makers. All of these proposals will provide VTC the tools we need to market to tourists and to attract film projects. For example, with an additional $3.6 million additional marketing dollars we will once again be able to run broadcast ads out of state, increase our grant leveraging program to $1 million and provide much needed database updates and a functionality overhaul to our highly successful website to make it more interactive and easier for a person to navigate and perform trip planning tasks. For talking points on these critical proposals 