Dairy Market Receives Virginia Tourism Corporation Recovery Marketing Leverage Grant for Tourism Marketing
Charlottesville, VA (November 16, 2021) – The Dairy Market has received $20,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s (VTC) Recovery Marketing Leverage Program (RMLP), designed to help local and regional tourism entities attract more visitors by leveraging limited local marketing dollars through a local match of the state grants funds.
More than $860,000 in matching grant funds were awarded to 64 local tourism initiatives through this program. This funding cycle, local partners will provide more than $2.2 million in-kind marketing value to match the VTC grants. The grants will ultimately impact 384 statewide tourism entities.
The Dairy Market will use the VTC Recovery Marketing Leverage grant funds to promote culinary experiences throughout the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The itinerary based promotion entitled: Charlottesville’s Bite-Sized Adventures: A Foodie Bucket List highlights the area’s flourishing food scene which includes new food & beverage outlets, industry-leading wineries, cideries, and breweries. At the center of the campaign is the Dairy Market a brand-new premiere food and market destination located in the historic Monticello Dairy building in downtown Charlottesville. The multi-day itinerary, designed to generate overnight visitation to the region, includes a trip to tasting rooms Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard and Castle Hill Cider with stops along the way to area attractions like Carter Mountain Orchard, the Historic Downtown Mall and the University of Virginia. The digital campaign will run from November 15, 2021, until December 31, 2021.
“Charlottesville has long been a hidden foodie gem, and this new campaign focuses on our diverse culinary offerings, local beverage scene and the paring of both that just can’t be beat,” said Courtney Cacatian, Executive Director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau. “I look forward to welcoming more visitors to Charlottesville and Albemarle County to eat, drink and love in our destination.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the tourism and hospitality industries in Virginia. As the Commonwealth slowly reopens for business, VTC offered these grant funds as a first step to re-entry into the marketplace to spur economic activity and future travel across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“The tourism and hospitality industries have been among the hardest-hit by the pandemic, experiencing decreased revenue and job loss, along with the temporary closure of many tourism-related businesses,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “These funds will help to revive Virginia’s tourism economy, which will help spur new economic activity and inject critical funds back into its communities.”
VTC offered these grant funds as a first step to re-entry into the marketplace to spur economic activity and future travel across the Commonwealth. The RMLP is designed to increase visitor spending by stimulating new tourism marketing through partnerships and extending the “Virginia is for Lovers” brand.