Catherine O'Donnell, representing Richmond Region Tourism, told the Richmond City Council’s organizational development committee that the region saw strong tourism growth in 2024. "We just got our numbers in last month for 2024, and more than 18,000,000 visitors spent nearly $4,000,000,000 in our region," O'Donnell said, describing an increase of nearly 5 percent.

O'Donnell said tourism is a major economic driver for the city: spending in Richmond rose 8.2% in calendar year 2024, generating about $51.2 million in local taxes and supporting nearly 9,000 jobs. She highlighted the Allianz Amphitheater as a key draw and noted that in some cases "more than 50% of the attendees are coming from out of state," delivering out-of-area spending to downtown businesses.

The presentation detailed group-business recruitment and convention activity. O'Donnell said the region recruited 80 meetings and conventions and 19 sporting events in the last fiscal year, producing roughly $70 million or more in economic impact for the city portion of the region. She also credited the Tourism Improvement District (TID) and advertising campaigns funded by it, estimating related economic impact for Richmond at about $4.4 million and citing digital advertising impressions in the tens of millions.

Danielle Fitzhugh, vice president of community relations for Richmond Region Tourism, described workforce and community-facing programs that support visitation, including the "I'm tourism" education program and partnerships that bring influencers, meeting planners and journalists to Richmond. Fitzhugh said the region is using outreach, education and grant-making to prepare local partners for visitors and to grow inclusive tourism initiatives such as a Richmond Region 250 campaign launching in January.

Speakers on the council praised the marketing work but pressed for clarity on funding. Council Member Lynch asked how contributions are allocated across localities; O'Donnell explained that Richmond, Hanover, Henrico and Chesterfield each contribute an equivalent of 2% of their hotel occupancy tax revenue while the TID adds a separate 2% fee collected in real time. "Henrico's is the highest because they have the most hotel rooms," she said, noting that the city's share depends on room counts and occupancy.

O'Donnell and Fitzhugh closed by encouraging continued regional coordination, and council members thanked the tourism leaders for the update. The committee did not take any vote on policy; members noted the presentation and will follow up in future meetings on related economic development matters.