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• Virginia is for (bargain) Lovers. To encourage you to vacation closer to home, the state has gathered up some money-saving offers for Virginia attractions.
Figuring the sour economy might keep Virginians closer to home -- or just home -- for vacation this year, the Virginia Tourism Corp. has a deal for you.
The state tourism organization yesterday announced a statewide travel deals program tied to the 40th anniversary of the state's popular "Virginia Is for Lovers" slogan. The program features discounts of 40 percent and $40 off, as well as deals of "Buy 3, Get 1 Free" at almost 200 hotels, restaurants and attractions across the state.
You can view discounts available at www.Virginia.org/40Off.
"This new program . . . is to help people exercise their right to travel and make sure the economy or worries about their future don't stand in the way of that," said Tamra Talmadge-Anderson, a spokeswoman for Virginia Tourism.
The program was kicked off at Mount Vernon, where 40 winners of a Virginia Tourism contest gathered to tour the grounds and hear an actor portraying George Washington make a patriotic case for hitting the road. The winners were divided into four groups and whisked away on minibuses for free overnight vacations around the state. Destinations included Virginia Beach, Luray, Loudoun County and Richmond.
The Richmond visitors arrived in the afternoon and settled in at the Berkeley Hotel in Shockoe Slip for lunch and iced tea before heading out on a downtown tour on Segways. Dinner was at Amici Ristorante in Carytown.
After overnighting at the Berkeley and breakfasting at Perly's Restaurant, the group was scheduled to travel to Charlottesville today before returning to Mount Vernon.
Though most of the Richmond visitors are from Virginia, many had never seen Richmond except from Interstate 95.
Tapping into a market of potential visitors who live close by is an appealing objective of tourism officials, particularly in a down economy. Tourism generates $18.7 billion annually statewide and supports 210,000 jobs, according to Virginia Tourism, and is essential to local economic development, said John F. Berry Jr., president of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau.
"All travelers eat, sleep and shop," said Berry, who welcomed the Richmond visitors at the Berkeley. "It fuels the economy."
Contest winner Sha'Ron Downing, of Herndon, who made the trip with husband, Tommy, said she was glad to have a chance to see Richmond for the first time and also was happy to get a look at Mount Vernon, another place she had never visited.
"It's in your backyard," she said, explaining how she had managed to miss something so close, "and I guess you just take it for granted."
Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or wlohmann@timesdispatch.com.
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