The Williamsburg Hotel & Motel Association wants to change the structure of an almost 10-year-old law that requires hotels and timeshares to collect a $2 tax to promote overnight stays in the Historic Triangle.
At WHMA’s annual meeting on Wednesday, Executive Director Ron Kirkland went over some of the basics of WHMA’s legislative priorities for 2014. Topping the list are a change to the $2 tax, fast-tracking the Interstate 64 widening, and continuing to push for public K-12 school year start dates to occur after Labor Day.
The I-64 widening will decrease traffic issues in the Historic Triangle; having to sit in traffic on vacation could deter people from wanting to visit the area again. Starting school before Labor Day could decrease tourism by about 15 percent because families will not be able to travel when their children are in school.
For the changes to the $2 tax, Kirkland said the WHMA wants to see either an increase in contributions to the tax pool or a change in who manages it. Currently, the Williamsburg Area Destination Marketing Committee is responsible for using the collected $2 taxes to increase overnight tourism to the Historic Triangle. That is accomplished through a mix of online and television advertising.
By law, WADMC comprises one member each from the James City and York County Boards of Supervisors, the City of Williamsburg’s City Council, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Busch Gardens/Water Country, the Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance, the president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Authority, the executive director of WHMA and one member selected by the WHMA Board of Directors.
WADMC’s members represent the largest tourism attractors in the Historic Triangle as well as the lodging industry, but that might not be good enough for WHMA.
If additional organizations don’t start paying into the WADMC-controlled pool of money, WHMA wants the state law changed to designate WHMA as the controlling body in place of WADMC. Kirkland said when the legislation was initially discussed it was the intent to have WHMA control the tax money; instead, WADMC was created and put in control.
Since 2007, the Historic Triangle has seen declines in overnight stays in the area; – this is something WHMA thinks is unacceptable and needs to be reversed.
Through October, the Historic Triangle has seen 1,327,128 rooms booked. That’s nearly 300,000 room nights less than what had been booked during the same time period six years ago.
Carl Lum, park president of Busch Gardens and Water Country and chair of WADMC, doesn’t believe changing state law is way to address problems with attracting overnight guests.
“We all have to find a way to work together … at the end of the day, it’s all about making the destination stronger,” Lum said. “I support revenue-related ideas to increase the pull of funds for destination advertising … I don’t think legislation is the right way to do that.”
Instead, Lum said there need to be some creative changes to increase funding for WADMC, which is ultimately used to fuel overnight tourism to the area. He thinks selling advertising or having a pay-for-play situation could work. At Monday’s WADMC meeting, there was some discussion over what businesses pay for enhanced listings on the destination’s website, VisitWilliamsburg.com. That option could increase funds to be used toward marketing the destination.
“I think you want businesses to participate because they see value in their participation,” Lum said. “The whole objective is that you want people that are members to see value in their membership.”
Robin Carson, general manager of Kingsmill Resort and a member of WHMA’s Board of Directors, agreed with Lum.
“I think it’s more about working together than going separate ways,” Carson said. She said a lot of people in the destination are very determined to pull a lot of things together to increase overnight tourists to visit.
Lum said for the last 10 years there has been a disconnection between organizations promoting the destination and things cannot continue that way to successfully drive visitors here.