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Richmond Region Tourism credits TID, ads and sports events as Chesterfield visitor spending rises
Summary
Presenters from Richmond Region Tourism told the Chesterfield County board that visitor spending in the county rose to about $601 million and lodging revenue approached $40 million last fiscal year, and outlined advertising, incentive and workforce efforts funded in part through the Tourism Improvement District.
Representatives from Richmond Region Tourism gave Chesterfield County officials an annual update on regional visitation and marketing on the county agenda, saying visitor spending in Chesterfield rose to about $601,000,000 and lodging revenue approached $40,000,000 last fiscal year.
The presenters said data from Tourism Economics, provided by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, show a 2% year‑over‑year increase in total trips across the region and growth in overnight stays, which they described as a priority because overnight visitors tend to spend more locally. "We take a collaborative approach that is 4 decades old in our region to tourism," the lead presenter said, adding that visitors often cross locality lines when they visit the Richmond region.
The update highlighted advertising, incentives and sports events as principal drivers of the growth. Presenters reported that visitors who saw the region's ads spent $323,000,000 in the community excluding hotel spending, and that a $2,800,000 ASMR advertising campaign — extended past initial ARPA funds and supported by the Tourism Improvement District (TID) budget — produced a brand‑lift survey showing a 23% increase in perception of the region and 34% saying they were "very likely" to consider the region for visitation.
Presenters said Richmond Region Tourism booked 41 events in Chesterfield in the last fiscal year using incentives and that incentives paid to retain and attract events totaled about $186,000 for that period. Through the current fiscal year they reported roughly $234,000 in incentives to date and about $63,000 funded through the TID. Sports tourism was emphasized: presenters said sports accounted for about 71% of the meetings‑and‑events market and noted a multi‑year incentive for the men's collegiate lacrosse association in 2026 and 2027 of under $30,000 per year through the TID.
The presentation also described media and influencer outreach. Presenters said Richmond Region Tourism placed 18 articles that mentioned Chesterfield with an advertising‑equivalency figure above $10,000,000 and said social and influencer posts reached sizable audiences; one cited example was an influencer post that had "almost 30,000 likes," as reported by presenters. Richmond Region Tourism noted familiarization tours for writers and increased trade‑show participation enabled by TID funding.
On workforce development, Richmond Region Tourism said the sector supports tens of thousands of jobs regionally and highlighted programs that introduce career pathways in hospitality, including partnership classroom sessions hosted for Chesterfield staff and community education programs. "It's our mission to use tourism as a force for good in our community," the presenter said, closing the update and inviting questions from the board.
Board members thanked the presenters and said they looked forward to continued partnership. Presenters told the board a midyear report will be distributed by email and left printed material in the packet.
