Urbanna partnered with the Virginia Tourism Council to develop a tourism plan to make Urbanna a year-around destination. The 22-page plan, presented to the Urbanna Town Council in August, evaluates Urbanna’s “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.”
The plan notes, “the tourism industry is an overly saturated and extremely competitive market. In order to succeed and thrive, Virginia communities must continue to develop new tourism products and focus on winning strategies to evolve and grow.”
Laura Messer, destination development manager with the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) Partnership Marketing division, facilitated the planning process and drafted the plan with the assistance and input of Urbanna.
The plan notes the town’s limited staff. “Collaboration from local, state and federal government is necessary to achieve all goals,” the plan reads. “Local stakeholders must also support the goals.”
Needs
Urbanna Town Councilor Merri Hanson said that the Urbanna Main Street Committee sought $30,000 in the budget for a 29-hour-a-week economic development and tourism director. “The finance committee was interested but said there was no money in the budget,” Hanson said. “So, Urbanna Main Street has pivoted to raising our own funds…”
Urbanna Main Street is awaiting word on its Community Vitality Grant application that would provide for one community project and some infrastructure needs and is hoping to obtain 501c3 status.
Staff is essential
“We have a great tourism plan created through community involvement,” said Hanson. “Now we just need personnel to guide it. We, a few volunteers, are already spread very thin and one thing we know from the Main Street Program is that programs that succeed are ones with a dedicated staff personnel. So, that is our goal!”
Stakeholders
The action plan is a result of four planning sessions hosted by the Town of Urbanna, where key community stakeholders came together, working towards the same interests for the future of tourism in Urbanna…
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