THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 3, 1994 TAG: 9406010140
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: S09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940603 LENGTH: Medium
The RV parking area will be on Wythe Street off Interstate 264 near WAVY-TV. Visitors will be able to walk to the festival along the Seawall from City Hall.
{REST} In addition, transportation by shuttle bus will be available Saturday night.
``It's a new market for us,'' said Voncile Gilbreath of the Portsmouth Convention and Visitors Bureau. ``Some of our residents are RVers and have been to other cities, other states, to attend festivals and other events. They believe this is a good place to attract these travelers.''
The bureau prepared a brochure that was mailed to regional and national RV clubs, Gilbreath said. In addition, local RV owners who attended a rally in Williamsburg recently took along brochures to promote the Portsmouth festival.
City Councilman Cameron Pitts first brought the idea to public attention.
Pitts believes businesses will benefit from the presence of RVs parked in the downtown area.
The improved but undeveloped PortCentre area, he said, is a good location because it is near a lot of activity in Portsmouth and accessible by ferry to Norfolk.
There is no other place in the downtown areas of Portsmouth or Norfolk for RVs to park, he said.
``It won't be a significant cost to try and it could turn out to be a very good thing,'' he said. ``Those vehicles are not cheap, so people who own them are not poor.''
Most RV owners do not stay in hotels and motels, he said, and a national magazine indicated that each person in an RV spends an average of $71 per day.
``It should be a good source of new revenue for the city,'' Pitts said.
A fee of $5 per vehicle per night will be charged to help defray costs of providing 24-hour security.
Vehicles must be self-contained. No hookups for electricity or other services will be provided. A dumping station and water will be available at an off-site location, she said.
The selection by the Southeast Tourism Society of the Seawall Festival as one of the top 20 events for this quarter should help attract RV owners to the downtown parking site, Gilbreath said.
{KEYWORDS} PORTSMOUTH SEAWALL FESTIVAL
by CNB