TRAVEL AND TOURISM PROMOTION FUND BUDGET SUMMARY

PROGRAM MISSION: Promote and position Arlington County as a premier destination of choice for leisure travel, conventions, and government meetings.

FY 2006 PRIORITIES:

• Position Arlington as a regional, national and world class location for visitors and small meetings, and execute measurable sales and marketing activities.

• Develop private sector partnerships to maximize marketing efforts.

• Collaboratively create an attraction strategy.

• Improve the County's tourism position in relation to the rest of the region.

PRINCIPAL PROGRAMS:

This Business Unit promotes and markets Arlington in ways that distinguish it regionally and nationally as the best location in which to stay, shop and dine when visiting or meeting in the greater Washington D.C. area. This includes use of promotions, direct selling, internet marketing, advertising and public relations in measurable activities as follows:

• Provide information and services for visitors to the region through a variety of channels including the Visitor Orientation Center, Arlington Visitors Guide, Group & Meeting Planner Guide, and website.

• Develop and distribute story lines, photography and appropriate information to identified print media outlets to extend the messaging through earned media (editorial placement versus paid advertising).

• Create targeted advertising focused on identifying the leisure traveler that creates a response to call the toll free number to obtain a visitors guide or to visit the website. Both the website and visitors guide will be positioned to encourage a hotel booking in addition to providing a wealth of information.

• Conduct direct selling activities through account identification and solicitation in appropriate marketplaces with personal face-to-face calls, telephone solicitation, direct marketing and e-marketing as well as exhibiting at customer gatherings.

• Measure results of activities and understand the return on investment.

SIGNIFICANT BUDGET CHANGES: The FY 2006 proposed expenditure budget for the Travel and Tourism Promotion Fund is $1,192,446, an increase of $33,377 or three percent from the FY 2005 adopted budget.

• Personnel expenditures reflect normal salary and benefits increases with two vacancies filled at higher steps.

• The non-personnel expenditures decreased $12,025 with reallocations including an increase for Trade Shows, the normal cost escalator for the lease of space for the Visitors Orientation Center at Pentagon Row and decreases in Travel Outside Metro and Trade and Promotion.

• Revenues reflect increases in the Transient Occupancy Tax ($54,100), and the Visitors' Center rent grant ($7,800).

PERFORMANCE MEASURES:

FUTURE BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS: The following will impact the Travel and Tourism Promotion Fund budget in the future:

• To successfully market Arlington as a tourist and visitor destination, funding should increase in order to expand to markets that currently receive little or no attention.