Chesapeake wants to catch bigger share of tourism

CHESAPEAKE

You owe it to yourself to take a vacation. You owe it to yourself to reconnect with family and friends.

You owe you.

Chesapeake is using the slogan - U.O.U. - to try to capture recreational visitors to the region. By some measures, it's working.

Last year, the city's hotel occupancy rates increased to 65 percent, up from 60.4 percent in 2010, according to Smith Travel Research.

Rates also rose in Norfolk and Virginia Beach to about 57.3 percent and 59.7 percent, respectively.

Chesapeake tourism officials know the city isn't necessarily a destination for a visitor - no beach, no amusement parks - but it is close to regional attractions offering such things.

"The angle Chesapeake is going with is: 'Come here, relax, go out on a short drive to Williamsburg or to the beach, then come back and relax here,' " said Chris Lowie, chair of the City Council-appointed Tourism Advisory Board.

Hotels in Greenbrier are generally cheaper than those at the Oceanfront, the area is less crowded in the summer, and easy highway access can take a traveler from Chesapeake to Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens or the Beach.

"All roads lead to Chesapeake," Lowie said.

Kim Murden, who as tourism director works under the city's Economic Development Department, said cities work together to promote what they offer.

"At the end of the day, visitors don't know where city lines change," Murden said. "Everybody in the region recognizes we all have something different to offer."

In Chesapeake, the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge fits that definition.

About 70,000 people visit the Great Dismal Swamp a year, said Lowie, who is also the refuge manager. He said tourists make up "more than half" of the visitors. Many come for its bird population.

The city's tourism plan indicates the city should take advantage of kayaking to draw tourists. While the city does have kayak and canoe rentals at Northwest River Park and Chesapeake Campground on the George Washington Highway, the tourism plan cites the need to offer more options through a traditional vendor in more locations.

That is something the economic development department is trying to secure, Murden said.

The six-person Convention and Visitors Bureau, which has a $1.17 million budget this year, doesn't pay for national media advertisements to attract visitors. Instead, tourism officials route advertising through AAA to spread the word to those already planning a Hampton Roads vacation and through regional print publications, Murden said.

Lowie said bringing tourists to Chesapeake helps residents, too. In 2010, state and local tourism receipts provided enough to save each household $290.70 in taxes.

"Tourists get the short-term benefits," Lowie said, "but residents get the direct long-term benefit."