Contributed by Discover Prince William & Manassas
Prince William, VA-Prince William County, the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park as well as the Commonwealth saw a boost in tourism revenue last year, according to the latest data released by the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
In 2012, tourism revenue reached $508 million in Prince William, up 4.4 percent from 2011. In Manassas and Manassas Park, revenue was $63.5 million, up about 4 percent from 2011.
“Tourism is a crucial part of our local economy and we are thrilled that tourism revenue continues to rise each year,” Discover Prince William & Manassas President/CEO Ann Marie Maher said. “The increase can be attributed, in part, to the county and city’s continued investment in tourism and the increased efforts of Discover Prince William & Manassas. We continue to enhance our sales, marketing and public relations outreach throughout the U.S. and abroad.”
Calculated by the United States Travel Association, the data is based on domestic visitor spending from per person trips taken 50 miles or more away from home.
Not only did tourism provide additional revenue in 2012, but it provided more jobs. Tourism supported 5,900 jobs in Prince William last year, up about 2 percent from 2011, and supported 554 jobs in Manassas and Manassas Park, up almost 1.5 percent.
Maher said Prince William & Manassas have established themselves as Civil War destinations thanks to the investment the National Park Service, the city and the county made in the 150th anniversary of the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in 2011 and continue to make.
Last year, part of the increase can also be attributed to the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Second Manassas/Bull Run and the fact travelers stopped in Prince William & Manassas to explore the 25-site Civil War trail as they visited other big 150th anniversaries including the Battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg.
Tourism is booming across the Commonwealth, with every locality seeing an increase in 2012, according to VTC. During a press conference Wednesday, Gov. Bob McDonnell said tourism generated $21.2 billion in visitor spending, up 4 percent from 2011, supported 210,000 jobs and provided $1.36 billion in state and local taxes.
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