Departments
By Ashley Blanchard
If you have a question about Lynchburg, you have come to the right place. Located downtown on the corner of 12th and Church Street, Lynchburg’s Visitors Center helped more than 12,500 people last year alone to find answers to their questions about the area. This May marks the Visitors Center’s 25th anniversary of serving as the gateway to the region. This year also rings in Lynchburg’s 225th year as an official city, adding up to one significant year for tourism for the Hill City.
Rich in local history, the building that now houses the Visitors Center has been home to a gas station, cab livery, battery supply store and most recently, a barber shop. The previous structure on the site served as a homeless shelter for men and was devastated by a fire in 1934, which killed 22.
Made of large green stone and constructed from 1940 to 1941, the current structure represents the Art Deco architecture style; the Allied Arts building downtown boasts these same design elements. Interestingly, the building was scheduled to be torn down in 1986 but Lynchburg officials decided to renovate the space during the City’s bi-centennial celebration and designate it as the first Visitors Center. This May 19 commemorates the day that the Center’s doors first opened to welcome visitors in 1986.
Today, visitors from the 50 states and around the world are directed to the area’s restaurants, hotels and attractions by Visitors Center staff. Last year alone, tourists from 39 countries including India, Egypt, Brazil and China came to see what Lynchburg offered. There is a five-minute video for guests who want an overview of the area.
“After explaining all there is to do downtown, we branch out to our regional attractions,” Visitor Center Manager, Alison Chadbourne, said. “When we are done, they are amazed there is so much to do here!”
According to the Center, popular downtown tourist attractions include Amazement Square, Old City Cemetery, The Lynchburg Museum and Point of Honor. Because the area is so rich in history, regional sites such as Appomattox, the National D-Day Memorial and Poplar Forest are first choices on the list of stops.
One thing visitors won’t find in Lynchburg, however, is the Jack Daniel Brewery.
“About 10 times a year, we get asked this question,” Chadbourne said. “[Visitors] know it’s in Lynchburg, but they don’t know it is Lynchburg, Tennessee. Fortunately, they are not disappointed after we tell them all we have to offer here in Virginia!”
In addition to helping visitors, the Center also assists local residents with maps and advance ticket sales. Special street directories for delivery and cab drivers and state scenic maps are also available. In addition, the center provides local residents with free packets of information for weddings, reunions and conferences. In all, over 200,000 visitor’s guides were distributed last year.
The gift shop boasts a variety of souvenirs for visitors and residents, from typical fare like hats, t-shirts and postcards, to special Christmas ornaments and books by local authors on the history of the area, including Amherst County, Patrick Henry and Appomattox.
One special item is a small booklet called “Favorite Hikes” that sells for just five dollars. As the title implies, the booklet, which the Visitors Center produced with the Appalachian Trial Club and Lynchburg College, details great places to hike on the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Mountains.
“For the most part, we don’t market Lynchburg to Lynchburg,” Beckie Nix, Director of the Lynchburg Regional Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, said. However, in response to the down economy of 2008, the Center launched their “Staycations” promotion that targeted locals to take advantage of things close at home. Visits to local parks and museums as well as nearby festivals were popular attractions.
The mission of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau sales department is to sell the Hill City as a destination to the leisure travel market. Ads can be found in publications like Southern Living, Budget Travel and Ladies Home Journal. Target marketing outlets include motor coach industries, trade shows, group tours looking for new destinations, trade shows for business conferences and sporting events.
“Last year, we met a religious conference planner at a trade show. We enticed them to host a women’s conference which brought a group of 3,000 people to attend the two-day event sponsored by Going Beyond Ministries,” Nix said.
Tourism is big business for Lynchburg, with the municipality benefiting from out-of-town visitors (defined as those who live more than 50 miles away) who sleep, eat and shop here, and in turn, generate revenue for the area through lodging, meal and sales taxes.
“It is a competitive industry, and we have to keep the area competitive,” Nix explained.
With this in mind, innovative marketing efforts are helping Lynchburg make a name for itself. Last fall, “Discover Lynchburg” was the first destination marketing organization in the state to launch a travel application for smart phones. The application can be downloaded for free at the iTunes App store, under category of “travel” and then by indicating “Lynchburg VA.”
“This has been an invaluable tool, and in marketing you want to be where people are looking … everything is moving towards mobile!” Nix said.
Last fall, Lynchburg was also one of the first in the nation to integrate quick response codes–or QR codes, for short–into print, TV and internet advertising. These codes are programmed so when potential visitors scan the code with their smart phones, it takes them to a landing page where they can either download the “Discover Lynchburg” app, or go straight to the www.discoverlynchburg.org Web site.
Traditional press is still important to the tourism industry. Lynchburg will be conducting a familiarization tour this year by hosting travel journalists from the United Kingdom. By showcasing the area and “selling” Lynchburg, the hope is to have them write about the special features of Central Virginia and encourage tourism to the area.
Certainly, there is little doubt that the local tourism industry is viable and has an economic impact on the area. In 2010, the Visitors Center and the Lynchburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, both of which are part of the Chamber of Commerce, assisted 30,000 people with inquiries by telephone and email. That same year, visitors spent $139 million just within the city limits alone. Of these monies, $5.6 million contributed to local taxes, which has an $840 per household benefit. Additionally, tourism supports 1,500 jobs in Lynchburg.
Eight of those jobs support the staff at the Visitor’s Center, and each worker there will readily tell you that tourism improves the quality of life in the area. For its part, the Visitors Center offers many educational opportunities throughout the year including book signings and living history events that are free and open to the public. It also serves as a resource to many families of school-aged children who are encouraged to explore the past and discover historical landmarks as part of homework assignments. Preplanned itineraries, including “Do the Blue,” are available. In addition to the 75 miles of attractions, there are 70 miles of hiking and biking trails to take in the sights.
With a slogan that entices locals and visitors alike to “Discover Lynchburg in Every Direction,” ads, use of technology and the Southern hospitality of the workers at the Visitors Center ensures that tourism in Central Virginia will be alive, well and growing for the next 25 years and beyond.
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