DRIVE Tourism + grant program builds on the latest research and strategies from Virginia Tourism and what we have learned from travel trends over the last few years. VTC has identified an industry-wide target level of visitor spending – $103 Million per day spent by visitors to Virginia by the end of calendar year 2026. This target level represents an acceleration of annual visitor spending growth in Virginia over the next few years. If visitor spending reverts to its average annual growth rate pre-Pandemic, visitor spending in Virginia will not grow fast enough relative to our competitive neighboring states.
VTC Analysis has shown that states leading in visitor spending growth lead in broader economic growth metrics. Since the Pandemic, Virginia’s competitors that have grown visitor spending the fastest have also grown employment and population at a leading pace. If Virginia grows at a more moderate pace relative to our competitors, we will miss opportunities to build market share among travelers, potentially missing out on the further downstream benefits of economic growth. Visitor spending growth is powered by incremental visitor demand, a higher yield per visitor or a longer length of stay, in other words more visitors spending more and staying longer.
The DRIVE Tourism + workshop grant program, available to Virginia DMOs only, aims to help Virginia communities remain competitive as tourism destinations by putting as much emphasis on tourism promotion and product development. The program will help communities showcase their tourism assets and target the best audiences by supporting efforts that drive immediate visitation and extending length of stay.
DRIVE Tourism+ Communities
Round 1
- Charles City County
- Charlottesville-Albemarle Co
- Eastern Shore
- Giles Co
- King and Queen Co
- Nelson Co
- Newport News
- Northern Neck
- Smithfield – Isle of Wight
- Waynesboro
Round 2
- Dinwiddie Co
- Floyd Co
- Franklin-Southhampton Co
- Gloucester Co
- Goochland Co
- Middlesex Co
- Pennington Gap
- Town of Culpeper
- Town of Kilmarnock
- Winchester-Frederick Co