The Greater Williamsburg Tourist Information Center, operated by the Williamsburg Hotel and Motel Association, will be moving to a new location and reopening within the Village Shops at Kingsmill by mid-April.
The center is currently located in an interior space at the Village Shops at Kingsmill but will be moving to a corner location that’s visible from Route 60 with a goal of increasing traffic in the center.
As of Thursday, about 6,000 people visited the center, up about 3 percent from the same time last year. Last year, more than 52,000 people visited the center, said Ron Kirkland, executive director of the Williamsburg Hotel and Motel Association.
“I would say that our move into a more easily accessible and visible location will drive more visitors to our center than the current advertising campaigns,” he said.
He explained the new location will have information about the Williamsburg area and will sell tickets to all area attractions.
WHMA’s move to a new location comes at a time when area tourist organizations are changing advertising strategies to bring new and different visitors to the area, including WHMA ramping up its printing of the GoWilliamsburg Visitor’s Guide magazine with an additional 50,000 copies.
Busch Gardens recently announced a focus on advertising to families, trying to reach mothers with their commercials and advertisements. Colonial Williamsburg is offering a “pay for a day come back all year” special for Virginia residents, and the Williamsburg Area Destination Marketing Committee has shifted its commercial run time to reach more visitors during the planning stage of vacations.
