The Virginia Tourism Corporation realizes that our travel industry partners have been impacted by COVID-19. Below are resources that will be updated as they become available. If you have a resource that is not included on this page, please email Angela Wiggins at [email protected]
Health | PPE Resources |Workforce Opportunities & Employment | Virginia Chamber Blueprint for Getting Virginians Back to Work | Travel Research | CARES Act Information | Additional CARES Act Resources | General Business Assistance | Upcoming Webinars | Archived Webinars/Podcasts | Arts Organizations | Destination Marketing Organizations | Meeting Planner and Meeting Site | Group Tour Industry | Lodging | Main Street | Museums | Restaurants | Restaurants, Employee Assistance/Brewers/Distillers | Wineries/Agriculture | Retail | Local Assistance Programs | Federal Government
Health
- Governor’s Office – COVID-19 Guidelines and Information
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- Department of Labor and Industry COVID-19 – FAQs
- FEMA-(COVID-19) Response
- Virginia Department of Health
PPE Resources
- Safeguard Promotional Products – facemasks and shields, hand sanitizer, gloves, gowns, acrylic shields (for checkout stands) – visit https://www.safeguardjack.com/ or contact Anne Meagher Watson at 804.355.2679 or [email protected]
- Margin Edge offers help with automated invoice processing, inventory management, food cost management, and more. To learn more, contact Jill Fountain at [email protected] or 540.287.388.
- EMR – Commercial Kitchen Equipment & Industrial Services agency. The company has a maintenance list for closed kitchens here. Visit www.emrco.com/ for more info.
- BMS Direct Inc – for printing of restaurant placemats and menus, including washable menus. VRLTA members get discounted pricing. Visit this link for more information or email [email protected] for inquiries.
- Open Table – Their Open Door program offers new solutions and reduced or eliminated fees. Learn more here.
Workforce Opportunities & Employment
- VRLTA offers Free ServSafe and ServSuccess training courses, available through a grant from GO Virginia. Available to people who live or work in the following locations in Virginia: cities of Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond; and the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Greensville, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex. Sign up today!
- State of the Workforce: 2022 Challenges and Opportunities. Presented by U.S. Travel Association (Recorded Jan. 20, 2022)
- How to Recruit Talented Workers & Keep Them: A Workforce Roundtable Webinar. Presented by Richmond Region Tourism and VRLTA (Recorded Oct. 15, 2021).
- Innovative Workforce Solutions Resources Page – VRLTA
- VRLTA Upcoming Events page
- Job Board – VRLTA
- Jobs and Employment Resources Page (VIFRL)
- Employee Retention Credit
- Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Visit the WOTC website for more information.
- Virginia Employment Commission and upcoming VEC Job Fairs List
- Virginia Workforce Connection
- Virginia Workforce Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center
Virginia Chamber Blueprint for Getting Virginians Back to Work
Travel Research
Visit this section of the COVID-19 : Industry Response Toolkit for the latest Travel Research.
CARES Act Information
- Additional CARES Act information
- U.S. Travel Association (USTA) CARES Act Resources Toolkit
- Virginia Congressional Delegation Contact Information
- Virginia General Assembly Contact Information
State Agency COVID-19 Resource Links
General Business Assistance
- Better Business Bureau Resources Page
- Black Entrepreneurs, Visit the Hub created by SCORE.
- BackTo.Biz. Your one-stop resource to get your business back on track. Free online classes taught by innovative entrepreneurs; tools and how-to-guides.
- Campgrounds Information from VDH regarding COVID-19
- Coronavirus Small Business Guide Resources by US Chamber of Commerce
- Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Page
- Economic Equity Fund by Virginia Community Capital. Provides low-cost financing for small business owners who are women and/or Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) and were affected by the pandemic.
- EDA Funding page
- Facebook – Supporting Small Businesses Resources
- Hampton Roads SBDC Small Business Resource Books’ Website
- Hello Alice. A navigation tool to source funding, new customers, and community of fellow business owners.
- Hello Alice Funding Opportunities
- International Economic Development Council (COVID-19 Resources)
- Longwood SBDC – Business Solutions in COVID-19 with Link
- Opportunity Fund. Assistance for Small Business Owners Affected by COVID-19
- “Real-Time Mentoring.” Get free business advice from experiences mentors. Brought to you by SCORE. A SCORE mentor can help you get started on your business idea, overcome challenges, and grow your business. This is a free resource.
- SBA Celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Business Owners/Resources
- SBA Celebrates Black Business Owners/Resources
- SBA Minority-owned Business Resources
- SBA Celebrates Hispanic Entrepreneurs/Resources
- SBA Celebrates Native American Small Business Owners/Resources
- SBA Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources
- SBA Disaster Assistance
- SBA Lender Match. Connecting you to potential lenders offering SBA-backed funding.
- SBA National Entrepreneurship Week/Resources. Programs and services to help start, grow, expand or continue to recover from the pandemic.
- SBA Women-owned Business Resources
- SCORE for Black Businesses/Resources
- SCORE Resources, Events and Mentors by area
- Shenandoah Community Capital Fund. Funding assistance and support to women and minority-owned businesses.
- Shop Small Resources to Help Support Your Business
- Small Business Resilience Hub by SCORE
- Support Materials for Marketing Professionals During COVID-19 Crisis
- T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant Program
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Coronavirus Response & Resources
- Veteran Assistance Programs -SBA
- Veteran COVID-19 Resources – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other Veterans VA homeless/resources
- Verizon Launches a Slate of Free Tools for Small Businesses, with Help from LISC
- Virginia Capital Trail Foundation COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
- Virginia Community Capital (COVID-19 Information and Resources)
- Virginia Dept. of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) Resources
- Virginia SBDC Guide to Conquering a Business Crisis
- Virginia SBDC Recovery Resources for Small Business and local SBDC’s
- Williamsburg Tourism Development Grant
Upcoming Webinars
- “How to Improve Your Business Website to Turn Visitors Into Sales.” You’re leaving money on the table if you don’t have a website strategy to convert online shoppers into leads and sales. It’s time to improve your small business website. In this webinar, our expert presenter will show you how to improve your website with the fundamentals of website building, the best ways to get leads for you and how to measure the success of your website strategy. Thurs., Mar. 16 at 1 pm Edt.
- “Let’s Talk about Cybersecurity Risks and Trends for 2023.” Small business leaders can expect more incidents of attack surface expansion, data security breaches, identity theft, and remote code execution attacks than in the previous year if they don’t take proactive cybersecurity measures. Learn how to avoid the TOP 5 mistakes that could let hackers in! Thurs., Mar. 9 at 12:30 pm Est.
- “SEO & Social Selling *Webinar (Live)* – PW.” Overview of the live webinar: Power of SEO and social media for attracting customers, including local SEO to precisely target your market; Website optimization for lead generation. How personas, message maps, and content calendars help to make your website and social media footprint more attractive when integrated; Social selling as an amplifier of your existing sales and marketing strategy. Learn to build an omni channel presence and customer journey for faster wins; What your digital channel strategy needs, to be effective in terms of content, technology and investment; How to effectively use paid media and advertising. Cost savings of optimizing your website and SEO to maximize paid media spend and ROI. Wed., Mar. 29 at 10 am.
- “Small Business Lending 101.” Have questions on financing? Wondering on where to begin? Join us in conversation with Chandra Hurst, Economic Equity Loan Office at Virginia Community Capital. Thurs., Mar. 16 at 12 pm.
- “Destination Analysts Upcoming Webinars for 2023.” Gain unique insight into how traveling consumers are thinking and feeling as they continue to navigate challenges such as inflation and economic uncertainty amidst a strong demand for travel. Register today for this free webinar to hear exclusive findings from the travel industry’s most trusted travel sentiment research. To register and for more information, click HERE.
Archived Webinars/Podcasts
- ADARA Webinars (Pre-recorded)
- Advancing Black Entrepreneurs: Rising to the Challenges of COVID-19. Presented by Chase for Business. Webinar (Pre-recorded, July 24, 2020)
- American Traveler Trends Forum: The Future of Air Travel and Air Lift. Presented by U.S. Travel Association – Webinar (Pre-recorded, August 11, 2020)
- Assessing Recovery Webinar Series. Presented by U.S. Travel Association. This weekly webinar series looks towards the recovery of the travel and tourism industry and the broader economy. The webinars focus on the guidance and data necessary to safely restore travel in the U.S.
- COVID-19 & Main Street: Supporting Local Safely – Webinar (Pre-recorded, March 26, 2020)
- Destinations International COVID-19 Webinar Center
- DMOU: Destination Marketing Organization University Podcasts (COVID-19 and other resources)
- ESTO Webinar Series. Benefit from ESTO education all year long with free webinars. All webinars are Thursdays from 2:00-3:00 pm ET unless otherwise noted.
- Focus on the Finish Line, Berkeley Young of Young Strategies- Webinar (Pre-recorded, April 15, 2020)
- Inc.’s Real Talk: Business Reboot, Daymond John: How Businesses Should Move Forward Now. The FUBU founder and ‘Shark Tank’ mentor shared his experiences as a black entrepreneur, the biggest mistakes he’s made, and how listening and collaborating are the keys to surviving a crisis.- Webinar (Pre-recorded, June 9, 2020)
- Inc.’s Real Talk: Business Reboot, Shark Tank star and owner of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban Highlights on Where Small Business Owners Go From Here – Webinar (Pre-recorded, April 22, 2020)
- Leading by Example: Lessons in Race and Racism. Presented by U.S. Travel Association. – Webinar (Pre-recorded, June 11, 2020)
- Lessons in Race and Racism: A Continued Discussion. Presented by U.S. Travel Association. – Webinar (Pre-recorded, June 26, 2020)
- Lessons on Race and Racism: AAPI Voices in the Travel Industry. Presented by U.S. Travel Association. -Webinar (Pre-recorded, March 31, 2021)
- Leveraging the Latest Trends in Outdoor Recreation. Presented by U.S. Travel Association. – Webinar (Pre-recorded, July 9, 2020)
- National Small Business Week Virtual Summit., May 2-5, 2022, (On Demand)
- Navigating the CARES Act for DMO’s – Webinar (Pre-recorded, April 9, 2020)
- Navigating the CARES Act – Webinar (Pre-recorded, April 1, 2020)
- Relief for DMOs: Understanding Economic Development Administration Grants – Webinar (Pre-recorded, June 4, 2020)
- Reopening a Business Without Opening Liability by McGuireWoods – Webinar (Pre-recorded, April 29, 2020)
- Restaurant Law Center on demand Webinars.
- Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Information Session. Presented by SBA and U.S. Small Business Administration. Webinar (Pre-recorded, Mar. 31, 2021)
- Shuttered Venue Operators Grants. Hosted by SBDC. – Webinar (Pre-recorded, Mar. 17, 2021) and presentation slides.
- Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals (past webinars for download.)
- The Future of Association In-Person Meetings. Presented by Associated Forum and Meetings Mean Business Coalition. Webinars (Pre-recorded, Dec. 14, 2020)
- Update for DMOs on CARES 2.0. Presented by U.S. Travel Association. -Webinar (Pre-recorded, July 28, 2020)
- U. S. Travel Association “Accessing Recovery Webinar Series” for download.
- U. S. Travel Association past webinars for download.
- “Virginia Tourism Resources” presented by Virginia Tourism Corporation as part of the COVID-19: Resources for Our Communities Series. – Webinar (Pre-recorded, May 1, 2020)
- Visitor Use- Data Review from the Pandemic? What to Anticipate for 2021? More from SORP – Webinar (Pre-recorded, March 31, 2021)
- Your Money. Your Business. Your Life. – Funding and Financing Your Black-Owned Business; and other related webinars. (Pre-recorded,2021)
Arts Organizations
- Americans for the Arts Resources
- ArtsReady COVID-19 Response
- Grants for Arts Projects. Including Guidelines and application materials.
- Local Arts Agencies ARP Applicant Resources: Ask a Specialist
- League of American Orchestras COVID-19 Information
- Music COVID-19 Relief
- National Coalition For Arts’ Preparedness & Emergency Response
- National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts COVID-19 page
- Our Town. Grants for creative placemaking projects.
- Virginia Commission for the Arts Resources
Destination Marketing Organizations
The coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency is having an unprecedented impact on the travel industry and the entire economy. Now more than ever, the travel and tourism community must come together, support each other and remind our country that even through the most difficult times, the Spirit of Travel cannot be broken.
- Destination Analysts resources and webinars
- Destinations International Crisis Communication Plan Outline
- Miles Partnership Scholarship Program for STS Marketing College
- Miles Partnership, The Year in Review and The Years Ahead. Also, Additional Resources.
- Miles Partnership and Destination Analysts, The Value of DMOs – View Slide Deck and Access the DMO Website Importance Study
- Simpleview COVID-19 resources for DMO’s
- Southeast Tourism Society COVID-19
- U.S. Travel Association Industry Relief Resources page and Recorded webinars.
- U.S. Travel Association COVID-19 Resources for Destinations
- U.S. Travel Association COVID-19 Travel Industry Research page
- U.S. Travel Association’s latest toolkits to help the industry prepare for upcoming events
- U.S. Travel Association, Travel Confidently Toolkit. Full Health and Safety Guidance
- U.S. Travel Association’s most pressing priorities to help the industry navigate recovery
- U.S. Travel Association Power of Travel Coalition Advocacy Toolkit
- Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations COVID-19
- Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association (COVID-19 Resources, Info and Updates) and Recorded Webinars
Meeting Planner and Meeting Site
- American Society of Association Executives COVID-19 Resources
- Destination Analysts- 4 Things Meetings Planners Want DMO’s to Know Now
- HSMAI Coronavirus Resources
- Meeting Professionals International COVID-19 Resources
- MeetSAFE Guidelines by PSAV
- Event Safety Alliance Reopening Guide
- Destination Analysts – Marketing That Brings Meetings Research Report
Group Tour Industry and Sports Marketing
- American Bus Association COVID-19 Resources
- National Tour Association COVID-19 Resources
- Student and Youth Travel Association COVID-19 Resources
- Sports Events and Tourism Association COVID-19 Resources
Lodging
- American Hotel & Lodging Association, The Facts About Coronavirus including talking points
- American Hotel & Lodging Association, “Stay Safe” Guidelines
- Canadian Hotel Association – great example of industry resources
- CBRE Global Research and Resources Page (COVID-19)
- Guidance for Hotels/Motels being used as Temporary Shelter for the Homeless Population
- Hotel Management- Industry News (COVID-19)
- Hotel Managers Tips (COVID-19)
- USA Today Article: Ideas and best practices for hotels (COVID-19)
- USA Today Article: How to sanitize your hotel room (COVID-19)
- Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association (COVID-19 Resources, Info, Events and Updates).
Main Street
- Main Street America Resources COVID-19
- Main Street America. Report: The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses
- Virginia Main Street (COVID-19 Resources)
Museums
- American Alliance for Museums COVID-19 Resources and Information
- Museums and the Pandemic: Data Story #1 (by Wilkening Consulting)
- Museums and the Pandemic: Data Story #2 (by Wilkening Consulting)
- Museums and the Pandemic: Data Story #3 (by Wilkening Consulting)
- Virginia Association of Museums COVID-19 Resources
Restaurants
- National Restaurant Association COVID-19 Information and Response
- Virginia Farmers Market Association (COVID-19 Response)
- VRLTA COVID-Related Resources for Restaurants.
Restaurants/Employee Assistance/Brewers/Distillers
- Bartender Emergency Assistance Program
- Brewers Association Coronavirus Resource Center
- Can Can Brasserie Waitstaff Fundraiser (COVID-19)
- Charlottesville Restaurant Community Fund
- Charlottesville Virtual Tip Jar
- DoorDash Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund
- EAT Associate Relief Fund
- Fairfax Virtual Tip Jar
- Giavos Family Restaurants Employee Relief Fund (COVID-19)
- Gloucester Virtual Tip Jar
- Great American Restaurants Employee Relief Fund
- Hampton Roads Virtual Tip Jar
- Help Kudzu’s Staff (COVID-19)
- Holli Fund Food Worker Emergency Grants
- Hospitality Industry Associates Fund
- Lady N’awlins & F.W. Sullivan’s Cafe Employee Relief Fund
- Lynchburg Virtual Tip Jar
- Modest Needs Foundation
- Mothers in Hospitality Direct Relief Fund
- New York Deli Employee Relief Fund (COVID-19)
- NOVA Virtual Tip Jar
- One Fair Wage Emergency Fund
- R&L Hospitality Employee Relief Fund
- Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund
- Richmond Black Restaurant Experience Fundraiser
- Richmond Restaurant Workers Support Fund (COVID-19)
- Richmond Restaurants United (COVID-19 Response)
- Richmond Virtual Tip Jar
- Roanoke Virtual Tip Jar and Roanoke Valley Virtual Tip Jar
- RVA Hospitality Employee Relief Fund (Coronavirus)
- Southern Smoke Foundation Emergency Relief Fund
- Southwest Virginia Virtual Tip Jar
- Staunton Augusta Waynesboro Virtual Tip Jar
- Sticky Rice Employee Relief Fund (COVID-19)
- Tripadvisor Launches Worldwide Initiative to Enable Diners/Travelers to Help COVID-19 Impacted Communities
- Virginia Craft Brewers Guild COVID-19 Resource Center
- World’s Biggest Tip Jar
Wineries/Agriculture
- USDA Resources
- National Association of American Wineries
- Virginia ABC
- Virginia Vineyards Association
- Virginia Wineries Association
- Virginia Wine Marketing Office
Retail
Local Assistance Programs
- Alexandria COVID-19 Resources for Small Businesses and Partners Page
- Augusta County COVID-19 Resource Page
- Eastern Shore COVID-19 Business Updates page
- Fredericksburg InvestFXBG Loan Program
- Hampton Roads SBDC Small Business Resource Books’ Website
- Hanover County COVID-19 Resources Page and Hanover County Takeover App
- Henrico Citizen (COVID-19) Resources Page
- Henrico County Relief Fund/Lodging Assistance
- Hopewell/Prince George Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center Covid/Business Resources
- Loudoun County COVID-19 Toolkit Resources
- Norfolk Retail Alliance /The Retail Merchants Association (COVID-19 Resources for Retailers)
- Richmond Region Tourism COVID-19 Resources
- Roanoke Regional SBDC COVID-19 Resources
- Spotsylvania Economic Development Department COVID-19 Business Support
- Stafford County COVID-19 Business Resources & Updates
- Staunton Creative Community Fund and AT&T collaborate to assist minority and women-owned businesses impacted by COVID-19
- Suffolk COVID-19 Resources
- United Way Creates COVID-19 Emergency Fund
- Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Response to COVID-19, Partner Resources
- Wakefield NWS COVID-19 Temporary Medical Facility Forecasts
Federal Government
