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Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge reports record tourism impact; council presses for clearer ROI and board governance
Summary
At its Oct. 6 meeting, Roanoke City Council heard a presentation from Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge showing record lodging and visitor spending for the region and the city. Council members praised the economic results but pressed the organization for clearer, city-specific return-on-investment data and changes to board governance and term limits.
Roanoke City Council on Oct. 6 received an annual briefing from Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge showing record regional visitation and lodging revenue and saying the city accounted for roughly 58% of direct visitor spending in the region.
The presentation, led by Landon Howard, president of Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge, said the region produced its “largest impact on tourism than at any point in our history,” with direct visitor spending in the region reported at roughly $923 million and $534 million of that spending occurring in the City of Roanoke. Howard said those figures translate to about $25.5 million in local tax revenue for the city and estimated the effect lowered the tax bill for an average Roanoke household by about $597.
Council members said the headline numbers are significant but repeatedly asked the tourism agency to show how the city’s investment…
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