HD84 - Report on Standards for Inclusion of Non-State-Owned Visitor Centers in the State's Network of Welcome Center


Executive Summary:
This report is in response to a requirement in the Appropriations Act, Chapter 3, Item 125. O. for the Virginia Tourism Authority to report “…on the location, staffing, programming, capital, maintenance and operating cost requirements and standards for the Commonwealth to include public, nonstate owned and operated visitor centers in the state’s network of Welcome Centers.” The Commonwealth is very fortunate to have a wealth of tourism attractions throughout the state from which the state and local governments receive significant tax revenues. Indeed, the tourism industry in the Commonwealth is vital to the continued growth and prosperity of the state. In 2005, travelers to Virginia spent $16.5 billion generating almost $1.2 billion in state and local taxes while employing more than 206,500 citizens. A key element to maximizing tourist expenditures are the state’s Welcome Centers and the local/regional visitor centers. These “welcome maps” to tourism economies are vital to the traveling public. To sustain industry growth, it is key that state, local and regional visitor centers market the Commonwealth as a whole while promoting local and regional tourism product.

There exists in Virginia a large number of visitor information facilities with somewhat differing purposes and varying in the kind and quality of the services to the public. Most local visitor information centers are organized and operated by cities, counties, towns, chambers of commerce, convention and visitor bureaus or regional consortiums. The primary purpose of the centers is to promote destinations, historic and natural attractions/areas, eating establishments, shopping establishments and accommodations within the regions they represent. The centers are generally located in downtown areas, shopping centers and along major highways in rural areas. They are primarily funded by the localities and local jurisdictions for which they were established and are housed in varying facilities. For example, some are housed in stand-alone buildings while others are contained within other office space in a mall setting. This is of importance when assessing the capital needs for maintenance and expansion.

To ensure that the traveling public’s expectations of visitor center services are met, the Virginia Tourism Authority provides a certification program. Those centers which voluntarily enter the program become “certified” after having met certain operational requirements, thus ensuring a high level of quality of the services provided. (See appendix A for Certification requirements.) Certified centers also promote destinations and attractions statewide, both within and outside their areas and are provided with customer service training on an ongoing basis from the Virginia Tourism Authority. Currently, there are 52 certified visitor centers and many more non-certified centers throughout the Commonwealth.