2021 ANNUAL REPORT VISIT VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE
Geared for
RECOVERY
Economic Impact of
Travel and Tourism p. 1
VBR TWENTY24 and Inaugural IRONMAN p. 6
Continued Success for VBR Sports p. 8 BE A #TRAILSETTER
MESSAGE from the
Chair & President
Participating Localities:
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge was “Gearing Up for Recovery” as we navigated throughout 2021. The main focus was to seek out every possible source of funding in order to stimulate the Virginia’s Blue Ridge travel and tourism economy, assist in recovery for the lodging industry, support restaurants, and drive traffic to our many attractions. Virginia’s Blue Ridge is blessed to have extraordinary outdoor assets and group sports opportunities, which were incredibly popular during the pandemic. We are fortunate that our beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and sports facilities, managed by dedicated park and recreation departments, were open to visitors looking for a safe, socially-distanced place to get outside. These resources helped our industry survive, and in some situations, even thrive during 2021.
BOTETOURT
Salem
Roanoke
ROANOKE
We are eager to work with our jurisdictional partners and over 1,500 private industry partners to create conditions for a dynamic recovery. Together, we will capitalize on opportunities that will drive leisure tourism, attract sports groups, as well as grow the meetings business. It is our hope that the COVID-19 endemic will be a reality during 2022.
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
FRANKLIN
Thank you for your support as we all begin the process of “Gearing Up for Recovery” during 2022. W. Lee Wilhelm, III Chair
Landon C. Howard President
Tourism tells the world who we are, where we are, and why they would want to be in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Many visitors will become future residents, which means growth in jobs and businesses.
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Travel Expenditures Impact Local Economy A New Foundation for Measuring Our Recovery: Pre-2020
2020
ECONOMIC IMPACT DATA
ONWARDS
NEW, MORE PRECISE DATA
compiled by US Travel Association
A NEW WAY TO MEASURE ECONOMIC IMPACT
collected by a partnership between US Travel Association & Tourism Economics
as we recover from the pandemic
Data is different and no longer comparable to previous reports
$462.75
$0
(IN MILLIONS)
2016
$826
2017
2018
2019
Definitions: Direct Impacts: economic value created by visitors at the point of
$332.67 $719.89
$666.21
$650.61
$520
$260
INDIRECT & INDUCED
transaction in key travel sectors Indirect Impacts: additional economic value created as goods and services are purchased as inputs in key travel sectors
$493.11
$780
DIRECT SPENDING
$739.25
$1,040
$1,253 $513.26
$1,129
$1,217 $497.12
$1,099 $448.19
$1,300
Induced Impacts: additional value created from wage income (direct or indirect) from spending
2020
in key travel sectors
Direct Spending by Category:
$493.11 MILLION
FOOD & BEVERAGE
$156.28 MILLION
LODGING
RETAIL
$100.00 MILLION
$62.67 MILLION
RECREATION
$57.93 MILLION
VisitVBR.com · 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
TRANSPORTATION
$116.22 MILLION
1
SOCIAL MEDIA &
Geared for
RECOVERY
Marketing
Generating key content about our partners and promoting it through social media has become more vital to our visibility and maintaining market share.
VisitVBR.com Website Traffic:
OVER 4,700 UNIQUE VISITORS PER DAY
UNIQUE VISITORS (users)
SESSIONS (total visits)
1,722,383
74%
VIEWED THE WEBSITE ON A MOBILE DEVICE
2,260,168
22%
VIEWED THE WEBSITE ON A DESKTOP COMPUTER
PAGEVIEWS
3,617,722
4%
VIEWED THE WEBSITE ON A TABLET
SOCIAL:
Visit VBR continued to grow its strong presence on social media to more than 218,000 followers across a variety of platforms, generating over 37 million impressions and over 3.1 million engagements, nearly 1 million more engagements than in 2020.
Views: 645,429
Top Video:
MINUTES WATCHED WHICH IS 11,567 HOURS OR 482 DAYS
VIEWS
694,020
2
351,186
VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE – NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Top Featured Events on VisitVBR.com: The Visit VBR website was one of the region’s primary resources for showcasing the return of in-person events in 2021. It featured unique content that showcased many of the destination’s signature events, including:
Illuminights at Explore Park:
43,176 PAGE VIEWS
Concerts by Canoe Series at Philpott Lake:
34,887 PAGE VIEWS
Beaver Dam Farm Sunflower Festival:
31,588 PAGE VIEWS
New Initiatives:
Black History & Culture
A new section of the website showcasing Black History & Heritage was featured for Black History Month with digital campaigns. During the month of February, the campaign generated over 10,000 pageviews and nearly 28,000 engagements on social media.
Leave No Trace & Sustainability
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge became an official Community Partner with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics – an organization focused on environmental stewardship and sustainability. As part of its marketing and branding efforts, Visit VBR is committed to educating visitors and locals about the importance of responsible recreation and helping keep our local trails and public lands beautiful and accessible.
VisitVBR.com · 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
LOVEworks Art
Visit VBR introduced a new LOVEworks page to the Arts & Culture section of its website. Showcasing the 25 LOVEworks art displays around the region, the page features a special map of the locations, a self-guided bicycle route created in partnership with RIDE Solutions, and beautiful imagery, which have become an integral part of marketing campaigns.
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PUBLIC
Geared for
RECOVERY
Relations
The world continues to hear about Virginia’s Blue Ridge! As more people returned to travel in 2021, our destination remained top of mind in the media, appearing in over 300 articles.
As more people returned to travel in 2021, Virginia’s Blue Ridge remained popular in many national and international media outlets.
309 ARTICLES PRODUCED
124
50+
135
NUMBER OF MEDIA HOSTED/VISITED
MEDIA OUTREACH LEADS Articles featuring VBR and its partners appeared in top-tier publications such as Garden & Gun, AAA World Magazine, Forbes, The Washington Post, Travel+Leisure, and more.
ARTICLES
APPEARED INTERNATIONALLY ACROSS THE UK, CANADA, INDIA, GERMANY, AND BEYOND
NOTABLE COVERAGE: THE ROANOKE RIVER 2021:
3rd PLACE
2022:
1st PLACE
USA TODAY
10 Best - Reader’s Choice Award for the
BEST URBAN KAYAKING SPOT IN NORTH AMERICA
How to Explore Roanoke has become an 8 Places to Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge arts & culture hotspot – Along Virginia’s from Roanoke & worth the drive Blue Ridge Parkway AAA World Magazine
4
New York Times
Southern Living
Key Events Visit VBR’s PR team hosted 85 travel writers and social media influencers in market through individual and group tours. The PR team interacted with an additional 39 media contacts through pitching events in Atlanta and Milwaukee. Public relations put on three successful group media tours in 2021. Hosted 17 Travel Writers for SATW:
Black Travel Digital Session (BTDS)
Society of American Travel Writers Eastern Chapter Meeting
Roanoke City Arts Commission member, Macklyn Mosely, presented to media during the BTDS in partnership with Visit VBR and Virginia Tourism Corporation.
Attendees received a tour of the Black Dog Salvage warehouse and Stone House by owners Mike Whiteside and Robert Kulp.
JUNE 16, 2021
Hosted a summer camp for 30 female fitness social media influencers:
Camp Flex & Flow
JULY 7 - 11, 2021
Hosted in-person appointments with 15 top-tier travel writers:
Atlanta Media Event
AUGUST 12 - 16, 2021
NOVEMBER 9 - 11, 2021
Group shot at The Preserve on Crooked Run.
Visit VBR represents Virginia’s Blue Ridge in Atlanta.
VisitVBR.com · 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
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THE INAUGURAL
CARILION CLINIC
IRONMAN 70.3 VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE
SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2021
ALL 50 STATES
+ 7 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED WELCOMED OVER
1,600 ATHLETES
1.2 MI SWIM IN THE
CARVINS COVE RESERVOIR
56 MI
BIKE COURSE THROUGHOUT VBR & THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
13.1 MI
RUN ALONG THE ROANOKE RIVER GREENWAY
FINISH LINE at RIVER’S EDGE PARK RUTH E. CARTER
AFROFUTURISM
IN COSTUME DESIGN AT THE TAUBMAN MUSEUM
Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter is an expert storyteller who harnesses the power of visual communication to share vital narratives exploring culture, race, and politics. Creating costumes for generation-defining films, such as Black Panther, Coming 2 America, and Do the Right Thing, she brings vibrancy, nuance, color, and texture to each of her paradigm-shifting characters.
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Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design presents more than 60 costumes, as well as sketches and ephemera, illustrating her in-depth historical research and design process. The Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Foundation provided support in the amount of $5,000 to promote Ruth E. Carter’s tremendous accomplishments to Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs).
TEAM
TWENTY24 VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE
Women’s Pro-Cycling Team Relocates their Base of Operations to Virginia’s Blue Ridge Leaders of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge and the Virginia Tourism Corporation announced Team TWENTY24, a diverse team of female professional and junior cyclists, will officially relocate their base of operations from Idaho to Virginia’s Blue Ridge. The team’s name will now be Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 (VBR TWENTY24).
EARNED
For more than 17 years, America’s premier women’s cycling team has been responsible for developing and managing many of the most successful American female cyclists, establishing a consistent pipeline for talented road, gravel, and Zwift eSports athletes.
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OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC MEDALS
“
The vibrant cycling culture in Virginia’s Blue Ridge makes it a natural fit for Team TWENTY24. The rich mix of outdoor gravel and road assets solidifies VBR as a premier cycling destination for our athletes. indicated NICOLA CRANMER, Founder & General Manager of TEAM TWENTY24.
”
“
Our first year in Virginia will have a strong focus on connecting with the community, developing our new athletes through training camps on the beautiful and challenging roads of the region.
”
17
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
+ COUNTLESS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
TEAM UNIFORM DESIGN
7
Geared for
RECOVERY The VBR Sales team continued to research, collaborate, and regroup with clients, finding success in encouraging groups to work together to ensure the health and safety of all. These best practices provided clients with the information and resources they needed to host successful events. Virginia’s Blue Ridge (VBR Sports) kicked off 2021 with a strong start by hosting several annual indoor events, including VHSL Wrestling, ODAC Indoor Track and CCA Cheerleading. As spring approached and temperatures began to warm up, so did outdoor sports. The Blue Ridge Marathon, ODAC Baseball and Softball Conference Championships and many others began a great run of events for our region. VBR Partners once again pulled together a strong softball portfolio by hosting several championships for NCAA, USA Softball and NSA. Diversity in sports continued to be a focus for our region and together with our municipalities and counties, we were able to host the Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 in Virginia’s Blue Ridge, NCAA DIII Lacrosse National Championship, Blue Ridge Harvest Tour, Creature from Carvins Cove Enduro and the Strongman National Championship. Overall, 2021 proved valuable in restoring sports tourism for our area and showcased our collective ability to host events in a safe and successful manner.
SPORTS RECRUITMENT EFFORTS: TEAMS · Atlantic City, NJ - Fall 2021 Sports ETA (Fall) Symposium · Birmingham, AL - Fall 2021
36
LEADS GENERATED
37
EVENTS BOOKED
US Sports Congress · Frisco, TX - Fall 2021
22,913 TOTAL ROOM NIGHTS
FOOTBALL OFFICIALS CONFERENCE
ODAC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Featured Events:
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Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Go Cross – Cyclocross
Strongman National Championship
SALES &
Meetings
While the meetings market was slower to return to pre-pandemic numbers compared to sports or leisure, Virginia’s Blue Ridge saw notable successes. This year offered our destination team including hotel partners a chance to practice safe in-person meeting and declare new strategies for future growth. The need for in-person meetings continued to be at the forefront of our industry and the pandemic inspired us to be stronger together. VBR continued to support the meetings market with incentives, services, and other resources planners needed. We remained flexible in supporting our clients, open to new ideas and delivered inspiring communication about our destination. VBR leadership encouraged the formation of the VBR Healthcare Conferences & Meetings Advisory Group. The advisory group provided direction to assist the sales team in targeting healthcare-related conferences and meetings to meet in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. We were honored to have several committee members representing Carilion Clinic, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, and Virginia Tech. Overall, VBR hosted or assisted several meetings from corporate, association and SMERF markets in 2021. Together with our hotel partners, we delivered on our promise to re-imagine how in-person meetings can work and be successful.
CAPITAL DISTRICT KIWANIS CONVENTION
2021 MEETINGS:
RECRUITMENT EFFORTS:
VSAE Fall Conference
CONNECT DC
RICHMOND, VA FALL 2021
WASHINGTON, DC FALL 2021
Virginia School Administrators Football Officials Conference (ODAC) Ruritan National Summer Leadership Conference Capital District Kiwanis Convention Virginia Sheriff’s Association Annual Conference
14
LEADS GENERATED
15
MEETINGS BOOKED
6,960 TOTAL ROOM NIGHTS
VisitVBR.com · 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Conference Virginia Society for Technology in Education Conference Ironsmith Films – Trapped Daughter The Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife
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DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT &
Geared for
RECOVERY
Partnership
Balancing workforce needs and sustainability were priorities to VBR partners. VBR continues to provide resources and marketing during recovery.
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge is dedicated to promoting this region as a destination to visitors. Our 1,500+ Partners that make up our story of who we are and why people want to experience what we offer is what sets us apart. While dealing with the constant uncertainty of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge still had many new businesses open and become a partner of ours. It’s because of the support from our tourism partners, and many thanks to the investment from our local governments (Cities of Roanoke and Salem, as well as the Counties of Roanoke, Botetourt & Franklin), Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge is able to offer FREE partnership for tourism-related businesses located within those local governments. We also represent businesses within an hour radius of Downtown Roanoke through annual memberships. Visit VBR Partners are essential because each year, they increase our knowledge, expertise, and resources available in this region, to then be able to reach a greater audience in attracting future visitors.
1,529
PARTNERS IN 2021
93
NEW PARTNERS
NEW NOTABLE PARTNERS IN 2021: · Avid Hotel by IHG Salem · Chris’s Coffee & Custard Roanoke City
The Lemon Hotel
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Paint Bank, Craig County
· The Liberty Trust Hotel Roanoke City (Opened 2022, but partnered 2021)
· Sweets by Shaneice Roanoke City
RND Coffee
Vinton, Roanoke County
· The Preserve at Crooked Run Fincastle, Botetourt County · The Coves at Smith Mountain Lake Union Hall, Franklin County
Faithful Country Creations
Buchanan, Botetourt County
Engagement:
VBR Cheers Trail Check-ins:
3,295
VBR Cheers Trail T-shirts sent out:
406
VBR Savings Pass Redemptions:
148
Destination Development:
Roanoke River Greenway Extension
Virginia Welcome Center Study Tour
Wayfinding Kiosk
Mac and Bob’s
New Pickleball Courts
ROANOKE CITY & SALEM
VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF TRANSPORTATION
Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Welcome Reception
VRLTA (VIRGINIA RESTAURANT
EXPLORE PARK
LODGING AND TRAVEL ASSOCIATION)
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
VisitVBR.com · 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
DOWNTOWN ROANOKE
ROANOKE COUNTY RIBBON CUTTING
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PURPOSE OF THE FOUNDATION: A. To leverage and develop the Virginia’s Blue Ridge region’s recreation-related and outdoor assets to encourage healthy, active engagement through recreation. B. To strengthen the community narrative centered on recreation and the outdoors.
ANNUAL REPORT
C. To develop physical amenities as well as festivals and event offerings that enhance quality-of-life for residents and visitors alike. D. To contribute to the economic development of the Virginia’s Blue Ridge region.
Projects:
Roanoke Arts Pop!
Wayfinding - Carvins Cove
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Foundation Trustees W. Lee Wilhelm, III
James E. Taliaferro, II
Bob Rotanz
McNeil Roofing, Inc. President
City of Salem
Mac and Bob’s Restaurant
Shirley B. Holland
Robert S. Cowell, Jr.
Susan E. Short
City of Roanoke
Virginia Tech
Carilion Clinic Secretary
Doug Blount County of Roanoke Treasurer
Barton J. Wilner Entre Computer Center
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Established November 15, 2016
Gary Larrowe County of Botetourt
Christopher L. Whitlow County of Franklin
Daniel R. O’Donnell County of Roanoke
Administration Landon C. Howard Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge
VBR
BOARD OF DIRECTORS W. Lee Wilhelm, III
Team
Doug Blount
McNeil Roofing, Inc. Chair
County of Roanoke Treasurer
Shirley B. Holland
Barton J. Wilner
Carilion Clinic Secretary
Entre Computer Center Past Chair
Dave Andersen
Lisa D. Garst
Ann Blair Miller
John Shaner
Kimberly Blair
Michael Hamlar
Daniel R. O’Donnell
Susan E. Short
Lynne Pearo Boone
Catherine (Cate) J. Huff
Dominion Lodging Roanoke College
ABoone Homes, LLC
Salem
Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore
Roanoke Regional Partnership
Virginia Tech
Roanoke County (1/2019 - 1/2022)
James E. Taliaferro, II
Kirtesh Patel
City of Salem
David L. Johns
TRU by Hilton Roanoke Hollins
Gary Larrowe
City of Roanoke
Robert S. Cowell, Jr.
Stephen Lemon
Rockydale Quarries Corporation
Whit Ellerman
Annette Lewis
Robertson Marketing
Dawn Tanner Erdman
Peter Lewis
William Farrell
Mark S. Lucas
John Carlin
WSLS-TV 10 (NBC)
Richard L. Caywood, P.E. County of Roanoke City of Roanoke
Cardinal Bicycle
Roanoke City Representative Berglund Automotive Group
Ferrum College
County of Botetourt Martin, Hopkins & Lemon, P.C. Total Action for Progress (TAP) Apple Ridge Farm
City of Salem Parks & Recreation
Lucas L. Thornton
Hist:Re Partners, LLC
Anita J. Price
David B. Trinkle, M.D.
Ken Randolph
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
David Robertson
Joyce Waugh
Bob Rotanz
Christopher L. Whitlow
Ssunny Shah
John B. Williamson, III
Roanoke Regional Chamber
Mac and Bob’s Restaurant Baymont Inn & Suites Salem
County of Franklin
RGC Resources, Inc.
Mill Mountain Technologies
STAFF Administration
Sales & Marketing continued
President
Public Relations Manager
Landon C. Howard Heidi R. Bowling
Director of Operations/Assistant to the President
Marlee Richardson
Partnership & CRM Manager
Sales & Marketing Debora Wright
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
David Aldridge
Director of Marketing
Kathryn Lucas
Kristine McCormick
Outdoors Experience Manager
Rachael Van Liew
Meeting Sales & Services Manager
Grayson Bond
Sports & Sales Coordinator
Destination Development / Visitor Services
(part-time) * Jane Smith
Visitor Services Lead VISITOR SERVICES SPECIALISTS: Marlene Efkeman Linda Franklin Chris Kessler Ray Keys
WEEKEND (PART-TIME): Ahondryea Brooks
Catherine Fox
Weekend Visitor Services Lead
Holly Marden
VISITOR SERVICES SPECIALISTS: Heidi Miller Wayne Sanburn
John Oney
Vice President of Destination Development
Shannon Terry
Events Coordinator (part-time)
Director of Sales
Visitor Information Center
*Note: VBR Visitor Center is operated
Creative Design Senior Manager
and staffed seven days a week
VisitVBR.com · 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
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Be a Part of Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 THE BEST WOMEN’S CYCLING TEAM IN THE USA
THE ROAD TO PARIS FOR WOMEN’S CYCLING STARTS IN VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE Support Virginia’s Blue Ridge Women’s Cycling Team Empowering Women, Championing Diversity and Promoting Fitness
ADVERTISING + PUBLIC RELATIONS
To learn how you can support Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24, visit VBRTWENTY24.com
Jennifer Valente Olympic Medalist World Champion