2020 ANNUAL TOURISM REPORT Prince William County Office of Tourism
Farm Brew Live Campus at Innovation Park
Tim’s Rivershore on the Potomac
BOARD OF COUNTY SUPERVISORS Ann B. Wheeler
Jeanine M. Lawson
Andrea O. Bailey
Victor S. Angry
Pete K. Candland
Yesli Vega
Margaret A. Franklin
Kenny A. Boddye
Chair At-Large
Brentsville District
Neabsco District
Vice Chair - Potomac District
Coles District
Gainesville District
Occoquan District
Woodbridge District – Chair Pro-Tem
TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD Jennifer Decker
Michelle DeWitt
Chair Hampton Inn Manassas Lodging
Vice Chair The Farm Brewery at Broad Run Agri-Tourism
Gwenn Adams
Maureen Brennan
National Museum of the Marine Corps Culture / History
Prince William Ice Center Sports Tourism / Facilities
Asad Chaudhry
Bethany Webb
Awana Hotels Lodging
Potomac Mills | Simon Property Group Retail, Outfitter or Specialty
Monica Harmison
Eileen Kennedy
Uptown Alley Entertainment
Hylton Performing Arts Center Culture / History
Jim Larkin
Cathy Madigan
Madigan’s Waterfront Restaurant Restaurant
Murlarkey Distilled Spirits Brewery / Distillery / Winery
Bryan Dolieslager The Inn at Evergreen Lodging
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 2
Tourism Advisory Board Partners, Stakeholders, and Residents:
As we look back on 2020, let us recognize the tenacity of Prince William County’s tourism, hospitality and business community including the residents who are supporting us through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jennifer Decker Chair
Tourism Advisory Board Hampton Inn Manassas
Michelle DeWitt Vice-Chair
Tourism Advisory Board Farm Brewery at Broad Run
We are grateful to County leadership, elected officials, staff, and the Prince William Chamber for keeping the tourism industry a primary component of the economic recovery story.
While the Office of Tourism pivoted quickly in a year of travel disruption, the talented tourism team did what it does best, they leveraged their relationships and collaborative efforts to support our industry and provide support. While this Annual Report focuses on the team’s 2020 metrics, we are gearing up to develop a comprehensive Tourism Master Plan to chart the future of the County's tourism efforts. This plan will act as a road map to the County’s future as it applies to tourism and hospitality. The focus areas and goals we identify with County leadership will connect a livework-play-stay model for visitors, residents, businesses and our workforce to create a community of choice for all. While 2020 was our industry's most challenging year yet, we have seen much growth and are optimistic in what the future holds for tourism in Prince William County. Sincerely,
Ann Marie Maher Director of Tourism
Prince William County Office of Tourism Advisory Board Executive Committee
Prince William County
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 3
2020 Annual Tourism Report NOVA BMX Track
Manassas National National Museum Battlefield Park of the Marine Corps
Prince William County Office of Tourism The Prince William County Office of Tourism, a division of Prince William County’s Parks, Recreation & Tourism Department, executes marketing and promotion initiatives supporting Prince William County’s strategic outcomes. Prince William County is one of the top ten travel destinations in the Commonwealth of Virginia according to a 2019 Virginia Tourism Corporation study (based on total visitor spending). The County is home to over 38 square miles of dedicated open public space for recreation enthusiasts as well as rich history and popular attractions. Agency Mission Statement The Prince William County Office of Tourism inspires travelers to visit the County by promoting, developing and enhancing experiences; thereby contributing to a robust economy and creating opportunities for residents. The Prince William County Office of Tourism is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of Destinations International. The Prince William County Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism is accredited by the National Recreation, and Parks Association.
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 4
2020 A Year In Review January 19 First reported case of COVID-19 in US
January 6 Michael Rojas joins Tourism Team to lead Sports Tourism January 1 Initiatives NVTP selects Ann Marie, Nicole and Mark to lead committees in 2020
March 11 WHO declares COVID-19 a global pandemic
January 22 Office of Tourism presentation Gainesville-Haymarket Rotary Club
February 11 Director of Tourism Ann Marie Maher appointed to County Strategic Planning Committee by BOCS
March 8 - 11 Office of Tourism Attends Travel South Domestic Showcase
March 30 Governor institutes Stay At Home Executive Order 55
March 12 Governor declares Public Health Emergency
February 4 - 7 Group Tour Sales mission to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland
January 29 Quarterly Tourism Advisory Board Meeting, Tourism Industry Meeting at Hylton Memorial Chapel
March 20 Office of Tourism pivots to deploy a ‘Support Local’ campaign to aide the hospitality and tourism industry March 25 through stay at home Office of Tourism and period; coins the Department of #PrinceWilliamStrong Economic Development hashtag deploy a Covid-19 Business Resource Plan through Pandemic; PrinceWilliamCounty.biz website established
June 12 May 29 July 1 May 8 Governor declares Governor Governor declares Office of Tourism Northern reopens June 25 July 29 Northern Virginia/PWC Leadership joins Virginia/PWC to economy under Office of Tourism Tourism to enter Phase 3 of Economic Recovery Task move to Phase 2 of Forward Virginia secures Road To Advisory Board Forward Virginia Plan Force; provides input on Forward Virginia Phase 1 plan Recovery broadcast on Meeting; Social Small Business Relief plan FOX 5 to say ‘Prince Distanced May 21 Micro-Grants July 1 William Is Open for Tourism Office of Tourism New Fiscal Year June 9 Business’ Networking partners with Prince Commences, tourism April 9 Office of Tourism June 29 June Event at Cedar William County advertising campaign Tourism Team fosters launches Prince Sports Tourism resumes focusing on Aroma II Wine Tasting Run Brewery Development Services to Prince William Cares, a William Strong Manager Michael and The Black Sheep launch Temporary drive market in DMV program to showcase Pledge, a program Rojas receives his Restaurant open to Activity Permits to how the business and created in July 15 SportsETA Sports public expand upon outdoor community collaborated partnership with Office of Tourism Tourism Innovation dining for restaurants; to support residents of PWC EOC and DED awarded $10,000 Certificate team begins Prince William provides FREE PPE for the communications to to businesses that WanderLOVE restaurant community commit to CDC and grant by VTC to VDH health support tourism guidelines to keep advertising the community campaigns wellness top of mind.
April 4 Prince William County Government deploys Stay Home, Stay Safe, Save Lives Campaign as part of t #PrinceWilliamStrong initiative
August 5 Office of Tourism advocates for and BOCs authorize hotel and lodging properties are included in MicroGrant consideration August 17 Mike Stoupa selected as Student Youth Travel Assn. Board Member
September 11 Office of Tourism awarded $22,500 in marketing coop funds from Virginia Tourism
September 25October 31 Open Spaces, Friendly Faces commercial airs on cable TV, Facebook, YouTube and on Spanish networks
September 4 - 7 Kyle Wilson Invitational Adult Softball September 9 Office of Tourism secures ABC7 coverage
October 31 – November 1 Military Appreciation Softball Tournament October 29 Tourism Advisory Board Meeting
October 23 - 24 Prince William Major American Cornhole Tournament
November 10-13 Group Sales Blitz to call on tour operators to book travel post pandemic
November 5 Fox 5 broadcasts ‘Woodbridge’ in morning news
December 2 SportsNOVA Regional Sports Alliance founded
November 21 Office of Tourism awarded $10,000 Recovery Grant for 2021 marketing campaign
December 21 Office of Tourism launches Passport to Prince William
December 4 - 5 Futsal State Soccer Championships
December 22-26 Office of Tourism secured news coverage on NBC4 News, WTOP, WDMV, and in print on the Passport to Prince William Program
December 31 Passport to Prince William achieves 766 subscribers since December 21 launch
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 5
2020 Top 10 Tourism Highlights TABLE of contents Pages 5 Timeline
Page 6 - 7 Top 10 Highlights Page 8 - 9 Lodging Data Page 10 -14 Marketing, Sales, Sports Tourism Performance Page 15 – 19 What’s New
Back Page Office of Tourism Staff Contacts
Prince William County Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism 14420 Bristow Road Manassas, Virginia 20112 (703)792-8420
#10 – WanderLOVE $10k Grant The Office of Tourism was awarded $10,000 to support marketing and advertising initiatives by the Virginia Tourism Corporation. The grants purpose was to inspire road trips to Virginia and the team utilized these grant funds to reach travelers in Maryland, Virginia, and DC to choose Prince William County.
#9 – $22.5k in Marketing Co-Op Funds Virginia Tourism Corporation awarded the Office of Tourism $22,500 in fund support for its Facebook and Google Search advertising purposes. These co-op funds provide the Tourism Office an opportunity to reach more prospective visitors.
#8 – #PrinceWilliamStrong In April 2020, the Office of Tourism created the #PrinceWilliamStrong hashtag to harness the power of the people of Prince William County and share that through one community, and one goal, we can get through the hardest parts of the pandemic – TOGETHER!
#7 – The #PrinceWilliamStrong Pledge To add to the County’s economic recovery program, the Office of Tourism spearheaded and created a program to provide Prince William businesses and not-for-profits free PPE in exchange for voluntarily pledging to follow the CDC’s and VDH’s public health guidelines to further protect the community.
#6 – Sports, Sports, & More Sports Prince William County, home to over 38 square miles of park and outdoor space, seized upon its resources to market and expand upon its Sports Tourism program. While some events had to be rescheduled for 2021, the program is a huge opportunity for future expansion of tourism in Prince William.
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 6
2020 Top 10 Tourism Highlights #5 – 2019 Visitor Spending To New High
LET’S GET social
While COVID-19 travel restrictions have heavily impacted visitor spending at hotels, restaurants, and attractions in 2020, the Virginia Tourism Corporation shared that visitors spent $640M in calendar year 2019 and provides a new benchmark. Facebook
#4 – $10k Marketing Recovery Grant The Office of Tourism was awarded another $10,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation to aid the tourism recovery in Spring 2021. The funds will be utilized in a Spring ‘Open Spaces | Friendly Faces’ tourism advertising campaign to encourage visitors to return ‘safely’ to the County’s attractions and hotels.
#3 – 250 New Hotel Rooms 2020 saw a record expansion in the hotel room supply for Prince William County and provides an opportunity to increase visitor spending in the destination. These new hotels provide new product amenities and friendly competition that improves the overall visitor experience.
27,899
LIKES (increase of 922 vs. 2019) @VisitPWC @TourismNewsPWC
4,052
FOLLOWERS (increase of 191 vs. 2019) @VisitPWC @VisitPWC_PR
#2 – New & Strengthened Relationships While 2020 saw disruption in the 2020 tourism marketing and sales tourism plan, the Office of Tourism turned lemons into lemonade by strengthening relationships with the local business community, and its role as community stewards as it relates to community development.
103
FOLLOWERS (increase of 31 vs. 2019) https://linkedin.com / company / Visit - Prince- William – Virginia /
#1 – The Passport To Prince William Throughout 2020, the Office of Tourism worked behind the scenes to create a digital passport that connects residents, visitors, and businesses. This economic recovery program has 1,000 subscribers to date, with 100 businesses involved in the program.
1,929 FOLLOWERS (increase of 439 vs. 2019) @VisitPrinceWilliamVA
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 7
VISITOR & HOTEL DATA RECORD CONSUMER SPENDING BY VISITORS IN 2019
$2.4B
$643,150,286
2016-2019
$618,613,216 $592,083,413
$570,900,715
+3.7%
+4.4% Annual Increase
Annual Increase
2017
2018
2019
Annual Increase
2016
+4%
County Hotel Bed Tax Collection (TOT) $4,600,000 $4,399,927
$4,400,000
$4,200,000 $4,000,000 $3,800,000 $3,600,000
$3,965,965 2014 FEDERAL SEQUESTRATION
$3,400,000
$3,679,008
$4,356,551 COVID-19 TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
2019 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
$3,335,206
$3,303,757
$3,200,000 $3,000,000 $3,096,400 FY 14
FY 15
FISCAL YEAR DATA
FY19
FY20
Total Hotel Occupancy
67.60%
56.80%
Average Daily Hotel Rate
$88.57
$83.22
FY 16
FY 17
FY 18
FY 19
FY 20 (COVID-19)
FY21 REVISED PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX REVENUE PROJECTION: $2,800,000 ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 8
*Source: Virginia Tourism Corporation / US Travel Association, STR, INC., PWC Office of Management & Budget
Lodging Statistics HOTEL & LODGING INVENTORY New Hotel Room Supply in Prince William County Hotel Property
Home2Suites – Potomac Mills Candlewood Suites – Dumfries La Quinta Inn & Suites – Yorkshire TownePlace Suites – Potomac Mills Hilton Garden Inn - Manassas Hilton Garden Inn - Haymarket
Magisterial District
Guest Rooms
Opened / Opening
Occoquan Potomac Coles Occoquan Gainesville Gainesville
126 83 76 91 108 117
2019 2020 2020 2020 2021 2022
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY LODGING DATA PERFORMANCE JANUARY - DECEMBER 2020 (Calendar Year / COVID-19 Impacts)
Hotel Performance By Corridor 2020 Occupancy
2019 Occupancy
2020 Average Daily Rate
I-66 Corridor Data provided by STR., Inc. Manassas, 56.9% 70.6% $73.28 Yorkshire,
2019 Average Daily Rate
$83.50
Gainesville, Haymarket
I-95 Corridor Woodbridge, Dumfries, Occoquan, Triangle
4,955 Hotel Rooms **Hilton Garden Inn Battlefield opens in Q1 2021
601 New Hotel Rooms Added To Supply by 2022 1 Luxury Inn Short-Term Rentals (AirBNB, B&Bs, etc.)
42%
63.7%
$76.40
$88.96
Data provided by STR., Inc.
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 9
9 Camping & RV Venues
Economic Recovery Programs The #PrinceWilliamStrong Pledge In June, to further assist the business community, the Office of Tourism partnered with the Department of Economic Development and PWC Emergency Operations Center to deploy a program designed to build consumer confidence and spur Prince William’s economic recovery. The program encouraged businesses to voluntarily commit to the health and wellness of customers, clients, and employees. Participating businesses and organizations received a Business Support Kit including FREE PPE, a “YES, We’re open” sign, hand sanitizer, floor clings, and a pledge seal for the entryways to inform customers that Prince William County is OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
PrinceWilliamCounty.biz The Office of Tourism partnered with the Department of Economic Development in March to create a new website to provide resources and digital tools to the business community as it became available. Both agencies collaborated to act swiftly as grants and programs were created in order to advise the local business community.
Business Ambassador Program The Office of Tourism assisted the Department of Economic Development in conducting one-on-one conversations with restaurant owners. Information was provided on the County’s many programs available and restaurants shared COVID-19 related challenges that they were experiencing. The blitz reached over 380 restaurants updating the County’s reach as it applies to business recovery efforts.
Support Local Passport To Prince William The Passport to Prince William, the first digital passport for the County, connects Prince William’s many businesses and their offers/deals to Northern Virginia residents. The passport program will be expanded in the future to reach visitor and group markets. ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 1010
Advertising Performance PRE-COVID TOURISM CREATIVE
12M Paid Impressions
Despite advertising spending freeze from April – June 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 11
Earned & Shared Media Performance
68
Office of Tourism generated news stories, influencer blogs, TV Segments, and earned media exposure generated in 2020
101
Blogs, Articles, Content Funnels, new pages created to improve SEO performance and increase organic ranking in travel planning funnel ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 12
VisitPWC.com Web Performance 71%
Increase In Users (346,134 vs. 202,436 in 2019)
67%
Increase In Web Sessions (436,260 vs. 261,208 in 2019) As the primary travel planning and things-to-do resource for travelers and residents in Prince William County, the tourism team deployed new content in 2020 to showcase the many outdoor dining and experiences. The website includes travel planning tools and listings that provide exposure for the travel industry.
95%
Increase In Total PageViews (887,671 vs. 455,209 in 2019)
17%
Increase In Pages Per Visit (2.03 vs. 1.74 in 2019)
-18%
Decrease in Bounces (53.81% vs. 65.25% in 2019)
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 13
Sports Tourism Performance $1.899M
Direct Economic Impact Related To Sports Tourism
13,494
Social Distant Participants and Spectators
4,267
Estimated Generated Hotel Room Nights
Group Sales Performance 13,553 Requested Room Nights Generated by 80 Group Sales Leads
11,234 Requested Room Nights
Generated by 74 Overnight Group Sales Leads Converted to Definite
64 Day/Service Requests
Shared with non-lodging industry partners (restaurants/attractions) ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 14
LaQuinta Inn & Suites Yorkshire
What’s New in Prince William, VA 15 ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 15
NEW TOURISM VENUES / EXPANSIONS NOW OPEN!
NOW OPEN!
Ethel’s New York Deli ----------------------Haymarket Gainesville District REOPENING SOON!
B. Franklin’s American Tavern ----------------------Woodbridge Occoquan District
NOW OPEN!
Long Time No Sea Restaurant ----------------------Manassas Gainesville District
NOW OPEN!
The Halal Guys Gyro & Chicken ----------------------Manassas Gainesville District
NOW OPEN!
Aroma II Wine Tasting ----------------------Haymarket Gainesville District
NOW OPEN!
The Black Sheep Restaurant ----------------------Manassas Brentsville District
NOW OPEN!
NOW OPEN!
Eugene’s Sausage & Fries II ----------------------Yorkshire Coles District
**List does not include all new businesses in Prince William County.
Absolutely Sushi ----------------------Manassas Brentsville District
Axe Hole Axe Throwing ----------------------Haymarket Gainesville District
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 16
NEW TOURISM VENUES / EXPANSIONS NOW OPEN!
NOW OPEN!
Pickleball Court at A.J. Ferlazzo ----------------------Woodbridge Potomac District
NOW OPEN!
NOW OPEN!
Round 1 Bowling & Amusement ----------------------Woodbridge Occoquan District
NOW OPEN!
NOW OPEN!
NOW OPEN!
LaQuinta Inn & Suites Manassas-VA Dulles Airport ----------------------Yorkshire Coles District
Water’s End Brewing II ----------------------Woodbridge Neabsco District
Defy Trampoline Park ----------------------Woodbridge Neabsco District
NOW OPEN!
Skrimp Shack ----------------------Manassas Gainesville District
ZavaZone Potomac Mills ----------------------Woodbridge Occoquan District
NOW OPEN!
Man Overboard Antiques ----------------------Occoquan Occoquan District
**List does not include all new businesses in Prince William County.
Hot Chickn Kitchn ----------------------Woodbridge Neabsco District
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 17
NEW TOURISM VENUES / EXPANSIONS
National Museum of The Marine Corps Expansion ----------------------Triangle Potomac District
NOW OPEN!
Parrando’s Tex-Mex ----------------------Haymarket Gainesville District
NOW OPEN!
Bel Air 1740 Event Center ----------------------Woodbridge Coles District
NOW OPEN!
Aroma Latin Fusion ----------------------Woodbridge Woodbridge District
Ice Rink at StoneBridge ----------------------Woodbridge Woodbridge District
NOW OPEN!
COMING SOON!
COMING SOON!
COMING SOON!
OPENS MARCH
Event Center at Winery at LaGrange ----------------------Haymarket Gainesville District
COMING SOON!
Rosie’s Gaming Emporium ----------------------Dumfries Potomac District
Winery at Sunset Ridge ----------------------Gainesville Brentsville District
**List does not include all new businesses in Prince William County.
Hilton Garden Inn Battlefield ----------------------Manassas Gainesville District
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 18
NEW TOURISM VENUES / EXPANSIONS NOW OPEN!
NOW OPEN!
Tita’s Grill ----------------------Yorkshire Coles District
NOW OPEN!
NOW OPEN!
TownePlace Suites ----------------------Woodbridge Occoquan District
Havana Boutique ----------------------Occoquan Occoquan District
NOW OPEN!
NOW OPEN!
Zaffron ----------------------Dale City Neabsco District
LaFinca ----------------------Gainesville Gainesville District
NEW APP!
Occoquan Kayak Ramp ----------------------Town of Occoquan Occoquan District
COMING SOON!
COMING SOON!
To learn what’s new, go to…
Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge ----------------------Woodbridge Woodbridge District
Featherstone Trail Expansion ----------------------Woodbridge Woodbridge District
**List does not include all new businesses in Prince William County.
VisitPWC.com
Epiq Food Hall ----------------------Lake Ridge Occoquan District
ANNUAL REPORT | VISITPWC.COM | Page 19
Silver Lake Regional Park Haymarket
The Office of Tourism Ann Marie Maher
Mark Kowalewski
Director of Tourism (703)792-8421 | amaher@pwcgov.org
Tourism Sales Manager mkowalewski@pwcgov.org
Dan Cook
Susan Plattner
Tourism Marketing Manager dcook@pwcgov.org
Tourism Office Coordinator splattner@pwcgov.org
Michael Rojas
Nicole Warner
Sports Tourism Manager mrojas@pwcgov.org
Media & Partner Relations Specialist nwarner@pwcgov.org
Mike Stoupa
Deena Westenhofer
Tourism Sales Specialist mstoupa@pwcgov.org
Content & Social Media Specialist dwestenhofer@pwcgov.org
VisitPWC.com | Tourism@PWCGov.org