Just as some folks perceived the town's participation in a regional tourism initiative to be a good concept, so too is dialog on what steps Christiansburg Town Council could take to promote its own tourism initiatives.
Based on the regional lodging taxes being increased, collected and disbursed well before any contract with specific deliverables was in place, and given that the town has made other huge investments for recreational facilities that can pull large crowds in for special events -- Christiansburg Town Council should now understand that such good ideas need well thought out plans with specific strategies in place in order to maximize effectiveness.
A Roanoke Times editorial supporting Christiansburg's self-promotion spoke to this matter. A distinction could be made between the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Development Council (TDC), however the contracts for tourism and marketing services indicate these were entered into by the chamber and the individual funding sources.
The towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg and Montgomery County are the funding sources, and they each have assigned employees who now serve on the TDC board. The TDC board also has most of its members drawn from the lodging industry (presumably all chamber members), which is a small sub-group of all businesses operating in the county (including others that can be affected by tourism). The chamber's president serves as the secretary -- or key point of contact -- to the TDC board, which was established as a private organization (read as Sunshine Laws not being applicable to their activities), and is at some point expected to spin off and be independent from the chamber.
A regional approach for tourism development is warranted for several reasons, chiefly that this cooperation can be cost effective and provide the greatest return to collaborating parties. Especially considering how significant the tourism industry is for local economies, and how competitive localities are in trying to tap into tourism spending. Most local governments do not have the expertise needed within existing staff to tackle such initiatives.
This competition is evident in Wytheville and Floyd, Salem and Botetourt, and even within the TDC partner groups: Blacksburg not only contributes to this regional initiative, it has numerous other tourism strategies in place that it funds in addition to this regional agreement. Montgomery County promotes its Parks & Recreation Department both as a service for residents, and to attract visitors. The county's Economic Development Department promotes business relocation while touting the region's attributes.
The regional TDC tourism funding thus far has seen Christiansburg providing the greatest portion of tax receipts, yet this shouldn't be presumed to remain true going forward. Blacksburg is now placed to challenge Christiansburg's having the most lodging rooms with several new facilities slated to open soon -- in addition to having the area's largest event magnet, Virginia Tech. Of the TDC grants awarded, the majority have gone to Christiansburg town or business related events.
How will the TDC partners perceive Christiansburg if it changes the agreement, before developing its own tourism plan? Before doing more to promote (with its own tax sources) joint partnerships with town business groups or non-profit organizations? Before developing detailed business plans for tourism, including marketing the aquatics center and sports complex? Perhaps aligned to some of the Town's Comprehensive Plan strategies and goals?
Christiansburg Town Council needs to tread carefully and plan thoroughly before making changes in how it funds tourism and marketing itself. Perhaps, rather than keeping some of the 1% currently allocated for the regional initiative for itself, as suggested in the editorial, the town should instead increase its tourism development funding overall.
If council wants to pull tourism dollars into town coffers, it need not be limited to a single strategy or 1% of the lodging tax.