THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 15, 1997 TAG: 9701150429
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 56 lines
Offering bundles of fun seems to be working.
Sales of the Revolutionary Fun vacation package - highlighting Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown Victory Center and Busch Gardens Williamsburg/Water Country USA - increased by 7 percent in 1996.
The package offers lodging and unlimited admission to the area's five major attractions for one price. It was sold through a $1.4 million cooperative advertising program sponsored by seven Williamsburg-area tourism organizations and the state.
The campaign, in its third year, generated about $48.4 million in economic benefit throughout the state, according to a study by the Wessex Group, a Williamsburg research firm.
``The Revolutionary Fun campaign was a bright spot in an otherwise challenging year for the local travel industry,'' said David Schulte, executive director of the Williamsburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Following the same trend, the Family Fun Package - which features Busch Gardens/Water Country, the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, Nauticus in Norfolk and the Virginia Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach - enjoyed a tenfold increase in sales last summer. In its second year, it drew $1 million in bookings.
The Williamsburg area, including Busch Gardens/Water Country, reported a drop in the number of summer visitors last year. But visits to Jamestown Settlement increased by 2.6 percent last year. Yorktown Victory Center attendance nearly equaled 1995.
The Wessex Group's study showed that 9,387 Revolutionary Fun packages were sold in 1996. In 1995, 8,804 packages were sold.
Revolutionary Fun advertising attracted 81,450 visitors to the Williamsburg area in 1997, compared to 70,950 in 1995. Of that number, 37,550 visitors were among groups that had purchased the package, while the remaining people visited as a direct result of the advertising, but without purchasing the package.
For every dollar invested in the campaign, $24 in economic gain was generated in the Williamsburg area and $12 elsewhere in the state, the study showed. About $2.9 million was collected in state and local taxes.
In 1997, the summer Revolutionary Fun package will be available May 10 to Sept. 14. The typical package price for a family of four is $599 for a three-night stay and $699 for four nights. Travelers can choose from a range of accommodations.
The package is sold through the Williamsburg Hotel/Motel Association, Colonial Williamsburg and the Kingsmill Resort and Conference Center, as well as selected American Automobile Association offices and tour wholesalers. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
Color photos
THE REVOLUTIONARY FUN PACKAGE
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
KEYWORDS: TOURISM VIRGINIA