2 Henrico programs to earn state tourism funding

The Jefferson Cup Girls Soccer Showcase Weekend ($16,000) and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s “Flourish” (the theme for its 40th anniversary celebration; $25,000) will receive a portion of the funds. The money will be used for marketing and event production to increase overnight visitation to Virginia. The funds are part of a matching grant and sponsorship program that will leverage state funds with local marketing dollars in an effort to attract more travelers to the state.

This funding cycle expects more than $9.2 million in local contributions to the marketing efforts. Combined, the efforts represent an investment of $12.5 million focused on increasing overnight visitation to Virginia across all nine Virginia regions.

“VTC’s marketing and sponsorship programs are powerful incentives creating tourism partnerships across Virginia that are a robust part of Virginia’s economic ecosystem,” said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. “Across the commonwealth, the tourism industry recognizes the importance of having inventive strategies to showcase all that Virginia has to offer. These grants will support those efforts and help draw thousands of additional visitors to the commonwealth to experience everything that makes Virginia so special.”