Prince William County Office of Tourism Receives $10,000 Grant from
Virginia Tourism Corporation “Crush Friday” Program Marketing Fund
Prince William, Virginia (January 23, 2018) -- Today, the Prince William County Office of Tourism announced that it has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) “Crush Friday Program” grant fund. “Crush Friday” is part of VTC’s ongoing efforts to support U.S. Travel’s “Project: Time Off” initiative, encouraging citizens to utilize unused vacation days. In total, VTC awarded $250,000 to 25 tourism marketing agencies across the Commonwealth to help increase visitation and revenue for Virginia’s localities through tourism. More than 155 partners will participate in this cross-state marketing program effort.
“We are thrilled to be supporting U.S. Travel’s Project: Time Off with our brand new Crush Friday campaign. The Crush Friday initiative is an engaging, creative and collaborative way for Virginia localities to leverage critical marketing dollars to attract more visitors to the Commonwealth, increasing the economic impact of tourism,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “This program will also help to change the way millennials think about vacation and the importance of time off not only to their quality of life, but quality of work.”
“We can’t wait to showcase the many attractions in Prince William County to reinforce reasons why workers of all ages should utilize their earned vacation time,” stated Ann Marie Maher, Director of Tourism for Prince William County. “We will also be launching an exciting marketing and advertising initiative this year to encourage Millennials and Xennials to leave the city on a Friday and take a breath of our relaxed attitude that our visitors have come to love,” she added.
The Prince William County Office of Tourism partnered with Potomac Mills, Farm Brew Live, The Winery at LaGrange, IMG Hotels, Splashdown Waterpark, Murlarkey Distillery and others to supply matched marketing efforts for the project. The initiative will include radio broadcasts at sites throughout the County, promotional activities at multiple attractions such as at craft breweries and at Jiffy Lube Live, and other experiential amenities to encourage workers to take their time off in Prince William County.
American workers left 662 million vacation days on the table last year. Of these workers, the millennial sub-set is the most likely to forgo taking vacation days in an effort to be seen as valuable “work martyrs” for the company.
The VTC Crush Friday Program is designed to encourage the millennial “work martyr” to give vacation a try. VTC and its industry partners aim to change that mindset and show the benefit that even one day of vacation can have. Virginia and the Prince William County Office of Tourism offer a call to millennials to take a well-deserved Friday and “crush it” in Prince William County.
About Prince William County Office of Tourism
The Prince William County Office of Tourism is responsible for executing tourism marketing and promotion initiatives supporting Prince William County’s strategic outcomes. Tourism in Prince William County supported 6,522 jobs and created over $571 million in visitor expenditures in 2016 according to U.S. Travel Association/Virginia Tourism Corporation research.
About Virginia Tourism
Tourism is an instant revenue generator for Virginia. In 2016, tourism generated $24 billion in revenue, supported nearly 230,000 jobs and provided $1.7 billion in state and local taxes. Dollars invested in tourism are proven to provide a 7:1 return in tax revenue for Virginia, and the grant awards and matching funds provide a stimulus to localities seeking to increase tourism visitation and revenue.
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