Courtney, a presenter for the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau, told the City Council in a work session Aug. 18 that the bureau has adopted its first strategic plan tied to the tourism master plan and will use it to guide work over the next three years. "The transient occupancy tax is the sole funding source for our organization," Courtney said, noting that the bureau’s budget rises and falls with that tax revenue.

The plan concentrates on four priorities: amplifying visitor experiences, fostering a welcoming community, strengthening partnerships and boosting sustainable economic growth. The bureau highlighted that, using the most recent figures available, visitor spending for Charlottesville and Albemarle in 2023 was "almost a billion dollars in direct visitor spending," supporting more than 7,000 jobs and contributing to payroll in the hundreds of millions of dollars, figures Courtney said will be updated with 2024 data expected from the state next month.

Why it matters: the bureau’s focus shapes how transient‑occupancy tax receipts are spent and affects local hotels, restaurants and attractions. Because that tax is the organization’s sole funding source, efforts to increase paid overnight stays directly affect the bureau’s budget and local marketing capacity.

Key details:
- Rebrand and timeline: The bureau is conducting a rebranding process that began with community outreach in May and will run through November; staff expect a rollout and website updates this winter. Courtney said the bureau ran seven community workshops and collected an online survey with 439 responses as part of the process.
- Accessibility and inclusion: The bureau plans to expand accessibility initiatives and an ambassador program tied to its existing "tourism for all" cohort. Courtney reported prior work onboarding industry partners with Wheel the World and said the bureau received about $10,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation to build and market a more accessible experience.
- Midweek visitation and data: Staff said midweek business is weaker than weekend leisure demand and that marketing will target those days. The bureau described a new dashboard that will display daily accommodation metrics — occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room — developed with an intern and data from Virginia Tourism Corporation and AirDNA.
- Short‑term rentals and inventory: Using AirDNA data, staff said short‑term rentals accounted for about 14% of the local accommodation inventory in 2024 and that many short‑term units are listed only for high‑demand events such as UVA football games.
- VA 250 and programming: The bureau described supporting the state VA 250 (Virginia 250) effort, including sponsorship of a local puzzle hunt and a Founding Footprints eight‑episode podcast. Courtney said the bureau contributed $10,000 toward VA 250 efforts that was matched by the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

Questions and next steps: Council members asked about cost‑benefit measures and whether advertising or event investment produces the greatest return; Courtney said the bureau tracks multiple metrics and that some measurement services can be costly. She said the bureau has seen a significant uptick in midweek business after expanding visibility on meeting‑planner platforms such as Cvent.

The bureau will present updated 2024 visitor‑spend numbers when the state releases them and will bring rebrand materials to the CACVB board in the coming weeks. The bureau also invited elected officials and the public to upcoming CACVB meetings and workshops.

Ending: The bureau signaled it will focus near term on finishing the rebrand, rolling out a refreshed web presence, continuing accessibility work and refining data dashboards that staff said will help guide advertising and midweek business development.