This May, the City of Danville proudly celebrates both National Travel and Tourism Week and Economic Development Week – two national holidays that spotlight the connection between attracting new visitors and strengthening the local economy for residents.
Danville should not only be a great place to live and work, but also a destination that people want to visit and explore, again and again.
In 2023, the City of Danville launched a tourism program under the Office of Economic Development with the brand Visit SoSi to spotlight tourism assets from both Danville and Pittsylvania County. From branded apparel to banners to regional collateral, including a new Visitor Guide, pad map and Tourism Master Plan, Visit SoSi sought to market city and county attractions nationwide.
Tourism Manager, Lisa Meriwether states, “The tourism industry is offering more entertainment options, creating more beautiful spaces to relax and play, providing additional community services, and introducing new career opportunities for locals along the way.”
But how does tourism relate to economic development, and why should it matter to you?
When you think of tourism, you might picture Hawaiian shirts, sunburns and tan lines, and tropical beaches, but tourism extends beyond snowy slopes and sunny coasts; tourism is in your own backyard.
Tourism directly creates more jobs in your local community. From coffee baristas and bookshop owners to alpaca farmers and hotel clerks, tourism works to expand businesses, hire more employees, and increase wages.
As more visitors come into our region, more tax dollars are being collected; these tax dollars are used to improve our school systems, enhance our parks and roads, and ultimately are reinvested back into the community.
In 2024, the Virginia Tourism Corporation reported that short-term visitation in the region increased by nearly 50%, adding $215.4 million to Virginia’s economy and supporting over 2,000 jobs.
“Our office intertwines two distinct but related programs that work together to benefit lifetime residents and first-time visitors,” says Danville Office of Economic Development & Tourism Director, Corrie Bobe. “We desire for Danville to not only be a great place to start your business, but also a destination that visitors are excited to return to again and again.”
Whether you’re sipping a local latte at Crema & Vine, indulging in a sweet treat at Ma’s Cakes, or renting a bike for an afternoon ride on the Riverwalk Trail, you are engaging and benefiting from the crucial connected role that tourism and economic development play in our region.
Maura Gest, Executive Director at Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau, summarizes this idea best, “If you build a place people want to visit, you build a place where people want to live. If you build a place where people want to live, you’ll build a place where people want to work. If you build a place where people want to work, you build a place where business needs to be. If you build a place where business has to be, you’ll build a place where people have to visit.”
This month, discover a new coffee shop, explore a park you’ve never visited, or shop at the diverse boutiques and retailers in the River District and beyond. Realize that you are in fact a tourism ambassador and take pride in Danville and the Southern Virginia region.
Click here to view the original article (Hannah Barker, Showcase Magazine, May 2025)
