Henrico receives $10,000 grant from '50 Years of Love' fund

Henrico County’s Tourism Office this week received a $10,000 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation “50 Years of Love” grant fund. The campaign is part of VTC’s efforts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Virginia is for Lovers tourism slogan, which was created in 1969 by Richmond-based advertising agency Martin & Woltz.

This year also is the 50-year anniversary of Henrico's Division of Recreation and Parks. Visit Henrico is partnering with a number of local businesses and organizations, including the Henrico Citizen, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Short Pump Town Center, Richmond Raceway, the Capital Trail Foundation, Sports Backers, Regency Mall, Capital Trail Bike Shuttle, Henrico County Public Schools, Final Gravity Brewing Co., SB’s Love Shack and the Lakeside and Dorey Farmers Markets, to celebrate 50 years of tourism opportunities in the county.

“For 50 years, Henrico Recreation and Parks has offered visitors many reasons to love Virginia,” said Henrico Tourism Supervisor Dawn Miller. “We are excited to celebrate this special anniversary with our community and Virginia Tourism. With beautiful parks and a broad range of sports and recreational opportunities, Henrico is a great place to visit and a great place to live.”

In total, VTC awarded $390,000 to 39 tourism marketing programs across the Commonwealth to help increase visitation and revenue. Each grant recipient received a $10,000 grant for its “50 Years of Love” project, with the requirement of engaging 10 or more tourism partners in order to receive grant funding.

“Virginia is for Lovers is one of the most iconic tourism slogans in the world, and we are thrilled to be celebrating “50 years of Love” with partners from around the Commonwealth in 2019,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “This grant program provides an engaging opportunity for destinations across the state to showcase what makes a vacation in Virginia so special, and helps to show travelers why Virginia is for Lovers still rings true 50 years later.”

The Virginia Tourism Corporation is the state agency responsible for marketing Virginia to visitors and promoting the “Virginia is for Lovers” brand, which is celebrating 50 years in 2019. Tourism is an instant revenue generator in Virginia. In 2017, visitors spent $25 billion, which supported 232,000 jobs and contributed $1.73 billion in state and local taxes.

For details about "50 Years of Love," visit https://www.virginia.org/virginiaisforlovers.