Greater Williamsburg may be known as the Historic Triangle, but its leaders in tourism showcased all that’s new in the area.
At its tourism impact forum Friday, the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance unveiled new programs and events at Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Historic Jamestown and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.
“That is the No. 1 question when I am out and about talking to potential visitors outside of Virginia about why they should come to Williamsburg — the first thing they say is, ‘What’s new?’” said Karen Riordan, chamber president and CEO.
Riordan and Jeanne Zeidler, chairwoman of the chamber’s board of directors, stood before about 100 members of the tourism industry in the Williamsburg Regional Library’s theater on Friday. The forum was held in advance of next week’s National Travel and Tourism Week.
For 2018, Busch Gardens is debuting the Battle for Eire, a new virtual-reality attraction. The park’s food and wine festival will return with menu offerings from four new countries: Brazil, Cuba, Japan and South Korea. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the park’s Loch Ness Monster roller coaster, the 10th anniversary of Christmas Town and the 20th year for Howl-O-Scream.
The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, which is composed of the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown and Jamestown Settlement, is unveiling a new exhibition named Tenacity: Women in Jamestown and Early Virginia, which opens Nov. 10.
The exhibit will explore the stories of women in Colonial Virginia, including the arrival of female colonists in 1608, the Powhatan women who interacted with the new arrivals and the first Africans on the continent. The exhibit is a part of the American Evolution 2019 commemoration.
In advance of American Evolution 2019, Preservation Virginia archaeologists at Historic Jamestowne continue their excavations at Jamestown’s church and the site of the first Africans in North America. The ongoing digs will result in additional historic programming and interpretation to bring their findings to guests.
Colonial Williamsburg is unveiling new programming in the Raleigh Tavern and the Robert Carter House. As the result of ongoing research, renovations are being made to the Great Hall of the Governor’s Palace, including a weapons display.
The Muscarelle Museum of Art and Phi Beta Kappa Hall will both be closing for renovations beginning this month. The 30-month, $118 million renovations are projected to be completed in 2020. The Muscarelle’s current exhibitions end May 13.
Riordan said the area’s portfolio of destinations and attractions drive the local tourism economy.
“For us, having all these attractions is a huge advantage, because any one might be the one that is the tipping point,” for a potential tourist, Riordan said. “That’s the blessing part. The hard part is the coordination of it all so it isn’t so overwhelming. We want to give people lots of options.”
Those attending the tourism forum watched a video highlighting the updates, which included recorded remarks from representatives from the organizations.
Guests also saw advertisements targeting potential tourists living in cities along the East Coast.
In addition, the chamber also provided regional tourism data from 2017.
Area hotels sold 1.6 million room nights combined last year, bringing in $203 million in lodging sales, Riordan said — the highest total since 2008.
The data also showed that Greater Williamsburg restaurants made a combined $480 million in meal sales, which was the highest ever recorded, Riordan said.
All told, tourism is a $1.2 billion industry locally that supports about 12,000 jobs and generates $53 million in tax revenue for the three Historic Triangle jurisdictions, Riordan said.
