Tourism vital to sustaining Dan River Region's business base

Local tourism leaders envision a thriving downtown Danville.

They don’t want to see empty storefronts or for-sale signs.

Residents want to have downtown retailers, the mall and shopping centers like Coleman MarketPlace, said Sandie Marshall, chair of the Dan River Hospitality and Travel Committee of the Danville-Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce.

But the residents of Danville and Pittsylvania County can’t support those businesses alone, Marshall added.

EXPENDITURES
City tourism
• 2004: $61 million
• 2005: $64.9 million
• 2006: $69.1 million
• 2007: $70.8 million
• 2008: $75.2 million

County tourism
• 2004: $34.4 million
• 2005: $36.3 million
• 2006: $39.1 million
• 2007: $43 million
• 2008: $45.6 million

Expenditures represent direct spending by travelers including meals, lodging, public transportation, auto transportation, shopping admissions and entertainment.

TAX REVENUES
City tourism 2008
• State: $3.24 million
• Local: $1.88 million

County tourism 2008
• State: $2.46 million
• Local: $1.36 million

Source: Virginia Tourism Corporation

“If we don’t have people coming in to support our stores and the things we’ve always wanted in the area, those things are going to fold up and go away,” she said. “During a recession, the first thing people want to cut is marketing dollars. That’s the last thing people should cut.”

In 2008, tourists (travelers going more than 50 miles) spent more than $75 million in Danville, according to the Virginia Tourism Corporation. That employed 850 people and resulted in more than $5 million in local and state tax revenues.

Tourism actually increased by $4.4 million last year from 2007.

The figures are determined using the U.S. Travel Association’s Travel Economic Impact Model, which computes several ratios to determine revenue estimates generated by travel.

Tourism, especially with business travelers, is economic development, said Marshall, who also serves as director of resort development for Virginia International Raceway. Tourism supports quality of life and institutions like museums and attractions that convince people and businesses to relocate to Danville.

Community leaders want to focus on regional tourism to make the area a “destination” and not a “pass-through,” Marshall said. Yet, if people are passing through, they might want to stop for lunch or shopping, she added.

Most travelers to Danville come for friends and family. Yet, about 50,000 people come through the Danville Welcome Center annually, said Rosalee Maxwell, city tourism director.

Maxwell was ecstatic that Danville performed twice as well in tourism as the state average in 2008.

“We’re really fortunate. It’s greatly important,” Maxwell said. “If nobody comes to town, what’s going to close?”

It would be Diamond Paper Company, restaurants, hotels, caterers, department heads, accountants and the newspaper because of advertising, Maxwell listed off.

Because tourism is vital to local business, the city provides about $50,000 for marketing and about $45,000 for advertising to sell Danville to out-of-towners, Maxwell said.

That money is leveraged as much as possible, including with grants or matches from the state tourism commission, she added. Maxwell and regional committee members attend trade shows and meetings across the state and East Coast to promote the Dan River Region.

One way to show Danville to visitors from all over Virginia and North Carolina comes in the form of Bright Leaf Brew Fest at the Community Market, for example, Maxwell said.

One-third of the advertising budget goes toward having a presence in the Virginia Travel Guide, which prints 600,000 copies, provides commercials and has a strong online presence, Maxwell said. The city’s tourism department is even planning itineraries and crafting event-planned packages for those looking to bring people that want activities — like for reunions or weddings.

The city tourism department also revamped its Web site VisitDanville.com in September. People can join the Danville, Va., Facebook group.

Danville businesses that want marketing training or ideas can call the tourism department, Maxwell added.

The Chamber committee is offering free hospitality training for local businesses to help put the area’s “best face forward,” Marshall said.

“We don’t want someone to say, ‘Oh, there’s nothing to do here,’” Marshall added. “We want them to realize our community has a tremendous amount to do and we want to get the word out.”