The Danville Office of Economic Development & Tourism (DOEDT) received a $30,000 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s (VTC) Marketing Leverage Program for its project, “See You in SoSi.”
The marketing initiative, “See You in SoSi,” will drive cross-border visitation from North Carolina, primarily Raleigh, Greensboro, and Durham. The project will work closely with six local partners, including the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, The Schoolfield Restaurant, The Bee Hotel, Caesars Virginia, VIRginia International Raceway, and the River District Association, to promote regional activities and cultural offerings. The marketing plan will consist of print and digital advertising, web content, itinerary development, and an updated creative.
During this grant round, VTC awarded more than $2 million in matching grant funds to 197 local tourism programs across the Commonwealth. These awards are funded through VTC’s Marketing Leverage Program, Designation Marketing Organization Grant Program, and VA250 Tourism Marketing Program.
These grant programs are designed to pair state funds with local tourism marketing campaigns to increase visitation and traveler spending through 2026. Local partners will commit more than $2.74 million to match the grant funding, generating more than $4.76 million in new marketing and event production focused on increasing overnight visitation across all nine GO Virginia regions. The tourism marketing will ultimately benefit 1,130 small businesses and nonprofits statewide.
Sonja Ingram, Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History Executive Director, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Visit SoSi on the “See You in SoSi” tourism marketing grant, which will help the museum share our vibrant arts programming and rich history with a broader audience. The museum has seen an uptick in visitors, both residents and tourists, eager to learn more about Danville and participate in our growing art scene.”
“Tourism is a unifying force that strengthens communities, fuels small businesses, and supports jobs across the Commonwealth,” said Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “These grant programs empower our local partners to share the stories, experiences, and destinations that make Virginia such a special place to visit. We are proud to support this important work and to extend the impact of the Virginia is for Lovers brand through these collaborative efforts.”
Administered by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, these tourism marketing programs are designed to increase visitor spending by leveraging limited marketing dollars to stimulate new tourism marketing through partnerships, and to extend the Virginia is for Lovers brand to drive visitation. Using the hub-and-spoke tourism model, Virginia entities create local partnerships to apply for funding. Partners include Virginia cities, towns, counties, convention and visitors’ bureaus, chambers of commerce, destination marketing organizations, museums, attractions, cultural events, and other tourism non-profits and businesses.