County tourism gets $10,000 grant to market “50 years of Love”

Prince William County Office of Tourism (d/b/a Visit Prince William, Virginia)  has received a $10,000 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) “50 Years of Love” program marketing fund. “50 Years of Love” 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.

Prince William County’s ’50 Years of Love’ marketing campaign will kick off in Haymarket at Tough Mudder Virginia (Silver Lake Regional Park) on June 1st. A multitude of other ’50 Years of Love’ program elements will occur throughout the county this year with partners such as Historic Occoquan’s Summer Craft Show, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Manassas Mall, Potomac Mills, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, SplashDown Waterpark, Sweeney Barn, other attractions, restaurants, and craft beverage sites.

“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 County is excited to partner with Virginia Tourism Corporation to celebrate the iconic ‘Virginia is for Lovers’ brand on its 50th birthday,” stated Ann Marie Maher, Director of Tourism for Prince William County. “The Office of Tourism will be utilizing the grant to intensify messaging this summer and inspire travelers to visit and fall in ‘LOVE’ with the many unique experiences that Prince William, Virginia has to offer,” she added.

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.

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.