November 2006 Tourism Report

Nelson County Department of Economic Development and Tourism
November 2006 Report

Tourism Update
Projects

• Beta testing new visitor center reporting software with Virginia Tourism Corporation
• Submitted information for Charlottesville and Lexington Yellow Book
• One of eight destinations represented at the National Folk Festival in Richmond 10/13-15 – mentioned in the Richmond Times Dispatch article 10/15
• Invited to submit 2007 event for  Pinnacle Living/Mountain
• Cooperative Living magazine featured Drumhellers Orchard and the  Waltons Mountain Museum
• Working with Parks and Recreation Department on the first national rails to trails map with the Rails-Trails Conservancy
• The 11th collectible miniature, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, will be available December 2006
• Working with Hill Top Winery, Taste of the World tour operator and Monticello
• USA Today November feature on places with virtuous names - Love VA
• Hosted New York travel writer - 10/27 weekend
• Submitted March 2007 events for AARP magazine
• New York Magazine featured Wintergreen Resort and Veritas Winery

Montebello Fish Hatchery
1025 visitors in October

Tourism Statistics
                                                Fiscal                                        Fiscal       
                October 2006        YTD 2007        October 2005    YTD 2006
Phone       368                        1,217                334                    1,326
Internet     137,645                 523,725            72,557               256,978
Walk In    1374                       4,966               1,569                 5,723
   
Taxes    September 2006    YTD 2006    September 2005    YTD 2005   
Lodging    $25,618            77,294            15,358                    48,187   
Meals        $43,617            130,181           41,696                   123,688

Media Coverage
Nelson County Times, News Advance, Daily Progress, News Virginian, magazines    Column Inches – 1,289  Number of articles -  44
Average open rate is $23.67 per column inch for regional papers –
Nelson County received $30,298 in advertising through print media sources.

Economic Development Update

Project
•    Facilitating the marketing and branding strategy
•    Updating the visitor profile
•    Nelsoncounty.com has a 7 (out of 10) Google page rank – similar to Amazon.com or Virginia.org
•    Working with the prospective buyer for the Callohill property
•    Coordinating the 2007 bicentennial celebration marketing efforts
•    Beta testing Virginia Economic Development Partnership occupational cluster analysis
•    Online business directory now complete, categorized by occupation and now being updated with 2006 business license information

October Meetings
October 2 – Wintergreen Performing Arts
October 3 – Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development
October 3 – Monticello
October 3 – Bicentennial
October 4 – Pharsalia Folk Festival
October 5 – Economic Development Authority
October 9 – Dixie Youth Little League
October 10 – Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce
October 10 – Birding and Wildlife Trails
October 11 – Weldon Cooper Center
October 11 – Regional Destination Marketing Organization
October 13-15 – National Folk Festival
October 16 – Bicentennial
October 17 – Virginia Tourism Corporation
October 17 – Wintergreen Resort
October 18 – Lovingston Revitalization
October 18 - Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development
October 19 – Regional Economic Development roundtable
October 20 – Economic Development Authority orientation
October 23 – US – South African Wine Exchange program
October 26 – Economic Development Authority bond issue
October 26 – Rural Development
October 30 – Bicentennial
October 31 – Small Business Development Center

Recruitment and Retention
Working with new 2 prospects and 4 ongoing relationships