Lieutenant Governor Bolling Announces Tourism Marketing Grant for Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival

Regional partnership between Bedford and Lynchburg tourism offices secures $5,000 grant for November 20 event at Poplar Forest

Ibbie Hedrick - Communications Director

August 16, 2010

FOREST, VA - Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling traveled to Poplar Forest today to announce a $5,000 tourism marketing grant for the second annual Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival. The grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation is designed to assist local and regional tourism entities to leverage local marketing dollars. The successful grant application was a partnership between Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, Lynchburg Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Bedford Tourism Department. The local partners were able to provide a 2:1 match for the grant, making a total of $15,000 available to market the festival.

“Tourism is a key component of our administration’s economic development strategy,” said Lt. Governor Bolling. “Visitors to our state generate billions of dollars in revenue and support more than 210,000 jobs through the tourism industry. The VTC Marketing Leverage Program promotes regional partnerships that help communities maximize their marketing dollars to bring more visitors to their destinations and events. I congratulate Lynchburg, Bedford and Poplar Forest on their successful partnership.”

The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) Marketing Leverage Program is designed to stimulate new tourism marketing through partnerships and to extend the “Virginia is for Lovers” brand. The objective of this program is to leverage limited marketing dollars, resulting in increased visitor spending. A minimum of three entities must partner financially to apply. Partners may consist of Virginia towns, cities, counties, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, other local or regional destination marketing organizations, private businesses, museums, attractions, cultural events, and other not-for-profit entities. In total, VTC awards approximately $1 million annually - matched and leveraged on average three to one by partner dollars - to more than 80 communities across the Commonwealth.

“This grant program has proven successful in combining limited state resources with local and regional investment to stimulate visitation through effective partnership marketing,” said Alisa Bailey, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Tourism marketing enjoys a 5:1 return on investment and helps provide instant revenue for the Commonwealth. Events like the Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival are highly popular with travelers and set Virginia apart as a top wine destination.”

The Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival, November 20, 2010 at Poplar Forest, features twelve Virginia wineries, local food purveyors and artisans and crafters. Additionally, visitors enjoy musical entertainment, house tours of Jefferson’s retreat at Poplar Forest, and a visit from Thomas Jefferson.

In 2009, the inaugural Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival exceeded all goals and expectations by attracting more than 1,000 attendees from Virginia, Washington, D.C. and North Carolina.

For more information about the Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival and travel and tourism in Virginia, visit www.Virginia.org or call 1-800-VISITVA to request a free, Virginia is for Lovers travel guide.

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