ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 22, 1996 TAG: 9605220009
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SALEM City Council doesn't believe it was getting its money's worth for the $25,000 it had been budgeting annually for the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau. Let's consider this further.
It is impossible, of course, to account dollar-for-dollar for the return that localities get on such investments. The bureau reports, however, that it has committed the entire $25,000 for the current fiscal year to underwrite rental of the Salem Civic Center as part of incentives offered in trying to draw convention business.
In one visitors center brochure, complain City Council members, Salem wasn't even shown on a map. A fair point. But this map shows the highway exit that motorists need to take to get to the visitors bureau. There, they will find information about all of the Roanoke Valley's charms and attractions, including those of Salem.
Such perceived shortcomings as these have prompted Salem to put $50,000 into opening its own visitors center. A fine idea - as a supplement to Salem's participation in the Roanoke Valley visitors bureau.
But City Council also has decided to reduce Salem's contribution to the valleywide bureau to $5,000. That's a bad move. It ought to be reconsidered.
Lacking a major destination attraction, the Roanoke Valley can develop a significant tourism industry only by promoting a package of attractions and diversions. This is true in every one of the valley's localities. Any one part of the total package - from Roanoke's City Market to Main Street, Salem - can draw a certain number of travelers passing through who stop over for a couple of hours of pleasant shopping or sight-seeing.
But if the valley is to be a destination - a place where visitors plan to spend a day or two, as well as more than a couple of bucks on motel rooms, meals, gasoline, souvenirs, hiking and camping supplies - then people in other cities and in neighboring states have to know about the range of attractions that, all together, make a trip to the Roanoke Valley worth more than a brief stopover on the way someplace else.
The way to get that word out is to combine resources and spend more - certainly not any less - on promoting the region.
The Roanoke Valley visitors bureau has a 1995-96 budget of $738,300. Compare that to the investment made by Asheville, N.C. - $2.4 million - to operate its bureau for the same period. Valley businesses and localities provide just enough money to cover the basic functions of a convention and visitors bureau. More funds - generated, say, by the meals tax - would provide a greater rate of return, by allowing the bureau to hire people and place advertisements to promote tourism and events and sell conferences and conventions.
Roanoke city officials ought to take the regional lead and give more to the bureau, knowing that such funding is not a gift but carries expectation of a return.
Meantime, Salem officials, who pride themselves on their city's support of worthy projects and programs, would do well to restore the Roanoke Valley bureau's funding, and then some - without cutting funds for a Salem center. As one councilman remarked, "$25,000 is not a lot of money to promote a city." Indeed. Salem and the entire region should do more.
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