Around Botetourt: Details of Tourism in Botetourt

Botetourt County’s tourism revenue has been inching up over the last five years, according to information available from the Virginia Tourism Corporation and Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

The county had local tax receipts of $1.6 million and a total tourism expenditure of $57.6 million in 2017. The local tax receipts include sales taxes, corporate income taxes, and property taxes. The county experienced 1.7 percent growth in its tourism expenditures over 2016.

The county’s tourism office was folded into the new Department of Economic Development Office as of 2017. There is no dedicated tourism official for the county now. Instead, new tourism initiatives take place through Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge (VBR), which is the regional convention and visitors bureau.

Catherine Fox, Vice President of Public Affairs at VBR, says the county’s change from a dedicated tourism office to a regional view has been a great investment for the locality. “We’re here as a support to market the Botetourt area and to bring more visitors to the region to spend the night,” she said.

The county’s Open Studios, and Upper James River Blueway Trail, initiatives developed by the former tourism office, remain under county supervision, according to Ken McFayden, Director of Economic Development. The Botetourt Wine Trail, an early tourism office concept, was recently handed off to the Botetourt County Chamber of Commerce, he said.

VBR is focusing on new endeavors. One of those is the Cheers Trail Passport program, which incorporates Botetourt County’s two wineries and two breweries along with 16 other wineries and breweries in the VBR’s area. “It’s a way to get people into the region,” Fox said.

On October 14, VBR’s Gran Fondo, a bike ride consisting of three different distance rides, will debut at Ballast Point, where the rides will begin and end. The bike routes have been created to highlight Botetourt’s rich scenic beauty and its warm and welcoming communities, including the three towns.

VBR also promotes Open Studios, the Upper James River Water Trail, and other events on its website. Additionally it lists 22 places to stay, notes historic sites, restaurants, and shopping, all in an effort to bring tourists and their dollars to Botetourt and neighboring localities.

“I think that Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge has the resources to more thoroughly and effectively market Botetourt County outside the Roanoke Region,” McFayden said of the change from a local tourism director to VBR.

Not everyone is entirely happy with the changes. “I think we lost something when they disbanded the local tourism office. We don’t have the dedicated group we had,” said David Gibb, owner of Virginia Mountain Vineyards.

Dreama Kattenbraker, a founder of Open Studios and currently its treasurer, had a different story. “Our experience with the county (even as we have both evolved these eight years) has been very positive,” she wrote in an email.

Botetourt’s increase in tourism revenues reflects a statewide trend. Last year visitors spent $25 billion in Virginia for tourism-related activities. Tourism supports 232,000 jobs statewide.

For more information on the county’s tourism initiatives, check out www.visitvbr.com/botetourt.

“Around Botetourt” by Anita Firebaugh.

Photos courtesy of Star City Sky Cam, Dreama Kattenbraker and Anita Firebaugh

Lead photo: Daleville Town Center. Star City Cam

Insert 1: David Gibbs, VMV   Insert 2: Dreama Kattenbraker, Open Studios