Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 10, 1993 TAG: 9307100266
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Now, more than 4,000 visitors register monthly at the center on the City Market. During May, 4,324 tourists stopped there.
Roanoke Mayor David Bowers says the eightfold increase since 1988 shows that the city's efforts to attract more tourists are paying off.
"There is evidence enough to show that our tourism initiative is working and is successful," he said.
In the past year alone, he said, the number of visitors has increased by more than 1,000 a month.
Bowers said the statistics include only those who stopped at the information center - not thousands of others who visited Roanoke's attractions without stopping at the center.
With the coming of hockey to the Roanoke Civic Center, the proposed upgrade of the Virginia Museum of Transportation and the opening of more restaurants, Bowers said the city is on the right path to becoming a significant tourist In the past year alone, the mayor said, the number of visitors to Roanoke has increased by more than 1,000 a month. destination. But the city can't stop its efforts to attract more tourists, he said.
Bowers has made tourism a top priority during his first year as mayor, focusing on the reopening of Hotel Roanoke, the return of passenger train service to Roanoke and other related projects.
In a report on the state of the city sent to City Council members, Bowers thanks council for its support of his tourism proposals. And he asks members for their continued backing.
Because of tourism's importance, council needs to revise the city's mission statement, Bowers said. The statement now says council and city officials will strive to make Roanoke the finest place to work and live in the South. It should be broadened to say "visit" as well, he said.
The city should continue its efforts to market the city through the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, he said.
In the past decade, the city has increased its annual contributions to the bureau from $20,000 to $510,000. The city now provides more than 75 percent of the agency's budget.
Tourism projects that Bowers says will need more attention in the next year include: a visitors' information center on the Blue Ridge Parkway that would provide materials on the valley's tourist destinations, Amtrak passenger train service, Henry Street improvements, a low-band tourist radio system, a railside park in downtown, better access to Smith Mountain Lake and renovation of Victory Stadium.
Bowers also said the valley needs more and better informational signs on Interstate 81, Interstate 581 and the Blue Ridge Parkway to direct motorists to the attractions.
He said the Hotel Roanoke and conference center project represent a major investment in downtown at a time when many cities are allowing their cores to deteriorate.
"Whereas many cities are investing in the suburbs, [the hotel and related projects] represent an investment by our city and its citizens in the sum of $50 million right smack dab in the heart of Roanoke," Bowers said.
This includes $40 million for the hotel and conference center, $9 million for the realignment of Wells Avenue and nearly $1 millionfor a pedestrian bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks.
Bowers also said the increasing number of festivals and sports events may require a sports coordinator to help oversee them. The city's special events coordinator, Laban Johnson, is busy with festivals and other events.
The city already has several sports events, such as the Commonwealth Games, Crestar Soccer Tournament, Dominion/First Union Festival Run and the hockey tear in the Roanoke Civic Center.
Bowers wants council to refer the proposal to City Manager Bob Herbert for a report and recommendation during budget talks next year.
by CNB