Three local entities to receive state tourism grants

August 16, 2021
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The Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission 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 Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission will use the VTC Recovery Marketing Leverage grant funds to share the Shore with potential visitors. The Commission will share the incredible beauty of Virginia’s natural coast and the stories of the Shore to help interested tourists plan their trips and encourage tourism in the entirety of the Shore. 

Robert Sabbatini, the Executive Director of the Eastern Shore Tourism Commission, stated, “The ESVA Tourism Commission is very grateful to have received this grant, and look forward to seeing the lasting impact it will have on local tourism to the Eastern Shore.”

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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.  

Virginia’s Eastern Shore is the southern end of the Delmarva peninsula, with the Chesapeake Bay along to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Its coastlines look much the same as they did in 1607 when Captain John Smith landed here from the Old World.

Settled in the early 1600s, Virginia’s Eastern Shore evolved in relative isolation from modern America for hundreds of years. Before 1964, when the 23-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was built, it was a long ferry ride to mainland Virginia, and an inconvenient car, rail or boat trip to points North. 

This heritage still shines through in the small towns, local businesses, and historical sites found around the Shore. Life out here is just a little different – and that is what makes it special.

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