Friendly City receives $10,000 to boost tourism

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The Friendly City received a $10,000 grant after working with the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

Programs to market and promote attractions around Harrisonburg were developed through VTC’s DRIVE 2.0 State Tourism Plan Implementation Workshops, which focused on enhancing and promoting tourism opportunities including specific action steps, success factors, timelines, and priorities for implementation.

The $10,000 will go toward promoting things that draw people to Harrisonburg, a major draw being the great outdoors and places for adventure-seekers to eat, shop, and sleep while they’re in town.

Michael Parks, Harrisonburg’s director of communications, said tourism is a key factor in the city’s economy and is making its post-pandemic comeback.

“We’re starting to see more conferences come to Harrisonburg,” Parks said. “One of the things we’ve been seeing recently is people looking to make Harrisonburg an attractive short drive destination, so if they’re in DC or Richmond and don’t really want to spend the gas money to go on a long adventure, Harrisonburg is not that far away. You can take a short weekend trip.”

Across the commonwealth, 27 localities received the same grant. VTC and the participating communities used current data, trends, and research to make their tourism plans.

“The completion of the DRIVE 2.0 workshops and the creation of more than 100 new tourism programs signal a new era in tourism development and marketing in the Commonwealth,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a press release. “Investing in new tourism product development, infrastructure and programs is a proven strategy for improving our economy by increasing jobs and tax revenue.”

For more information on the DRIVE 2.0 program, click here.

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