Chincoteague Chamber receives $10k grant

August 16, 2021: Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce has received $10,000 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 Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce will use the VTC Recovery Marketing Leverage grant funds to enhance the 2022 Visitor Guide & Membership Directory that will include state of the art digital technologies to complement the print guide. A digital GoGuide will offer search capabilities, while the interactive iMap will enable visitors to learn more about the area and locate individual chamber members more effectively.  

Evelyn Shotwell, executive director of the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce stated that while “the tourism industry on Chincoteague Island fared better than most communities in the Commonwealth during the pandemic, it definitely has not been an easy road. Our business community has persevered through major obstacles in recent months to remain viable in a challenging economy. The enhanced digital features of the chamber’s marketing materials will significantly impact the visitor experience in a positive way, thus impacting the bottom line of every chamber member”.   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. 

The Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, volunteer membership organization serving as the leading spokesman and representative for the businesses on Chincoteague Island. The chamber serves as a Destination Marketing Organization tasked with bringing visitors to stimulate the tourism-driven economy. The chamber office is conveniently located on the way to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and is a point of contact for visitor information, directions, and referrals. To learn more visit chincoteaguechamber.com. 

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