Becoming increasingly popular as a mountain vacation destination, visitors to Virginia’s Blue Ridge (VBR) spent $892 million dollars in direct spending during 2018, up from $850 million in 2017. Regional tourism also supported over 8,000 jobs and contributed $64 million in state and local tax collections.This marks the 9th consecutive year of record growth.

“We experienced an incredible $42 million expansion in only one year,” commented Landon Howard, President of Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge. “Working with our five jurisdictional partners, including the Cities of Roanoke and Salem, as well as the Counties of Franklin, Botetourt, and Roanoke, along with our 1,500 industry partners, we are together reaching new heights for VBR as a destination.”