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Virginia Tourism Corporation proposes joint King William–West Point DMO to boost visits, marketing and grant access
Summary
VTC destination development manager Laura Messer briefed the EDA on 2024 tourism impacts and proposed forming a combined destination marketing organization with West Point to unlock grants, strategic planning assistance, and coordinated marketing.
Laura Messer, destination development manager for the Virginia Tourism Corporation, presented statewide and local tourism data (2024 and preliminary 2025 visitor-profile information) and recommended that King William County and the town of West Point form a combined destination marketing organization (DMO).
She cited 2024 data showing $23.3 million in visitor spending for King William (county plus West Point) and 202 tourism jobs in 2024, and said DMOs are eligible for specific VTC grants and complimentary strategic planning services. "If a DMO was established between both King William and West Point... you are stronger," Messer said, recommending a coordinated approach rather than separate organizations.
Messer outlined visitor-profile findings (roughly a 49% overnight/51% day-trip split in 2025 mobile-data profiling) and suggested the county could use VTC assistance in September when the new economic-impact data are released. She described practical tools, including pop-up visitor centers, rack cards at welcome centers, and targeted marketing to balance visitation across months. Jason and staff said they will follow up with a proposed resolution to the Board of Supervisors and incorporate tourism goals into the county's economic development strategy.
