JAMESTOWN – The event that
was expected to dramatically increase
tourism in Virginia, a weekend celebration
of the 400th anniversary of
Jamestown, fell short of expectations,
but related attractions have reported
big increases in visitation.
Some other sites reported a decrease
as the summer travel season
ended with the Labor Day weekend,
muddling the overall picture for what
was expected to be a banner year for
tourism in Virginia.
State tourism officials said it will
likely be early next year before all
the information is processed, and any
tourism ripple effect could go on for
months or years.
Alisa Bailey, president of the
Virginia Tourism Corp., a state agency
based in Richmond, said, “Awareness
of the Jamestown anniversary
increased from 12 percent in January
2005 to 50 percent in May 2007.
Will that translate into visitation?
We will see.”
The centerpiece of Jamestown’s
18-month commemoration was May’s
anniversary weekend. Only 47,000 of
the 90,000 available tickets were sold;
complimentary admissions pushed
attendance to 63,000. Officials had
once predicted more than 1 million
people would visit James City County
for the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Overall, though, tourism remains
big business, and some sites have
benefited from the Jamestown anniversary.
In 2005, tourists spent
nearly $16.5 billion in Virginia, up
9.6 percent from 2004, and generated
more than $2 billion in state and local
taxes, according to the Washington,
D.C.-based Travel Industry Association.
In Richmond, Henricus Historical
Park and the state Capitol saw attendance
increase in May, thanks to
activities related to Jamestown 2007, according
to the Richmond Metropolitan
Convention and Visitors Bureau.