ROANOKE, Va. – Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge (Visit VBR) celebrated a banner year for tourism in the region, with record-setting growth in lodging demand, revenue, and digital engagement in 2025—significantly outpacing state and national trends.

Virginia’s Blue Ridge was an industry leader in lodging demand and revenue in 2025. The region massively outperformed both state and national trends in these key industry measurements in calendar year 2025.

Strategic Marketing Drives Measurable Impact

A key driver of 2025’s success was Visit VBR’s targeted spring marketing campaign, which focused on key audiences in the Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C. and Richmond markets. The spring campaign ran from April through July 2025, with visitation results tracked from April through October 2025.

•  27,000+ visits directly attributed to the campaign
•  $18 million+ in visitor spending generated
•  28:1 return on investment 

Building on that momentum, Visit VBR’s holiday marketing campaign targeted key markets within a 2–3-hour drive radius, producing massive increases in web traffic from several cities:

Visitors Pay for Residents’ Quality of Life

Every household in Virginia’s Blue Ridge benefits from visitor spending, which offsets local taxes.  Visitor spending helped residents save $347.38 on their local tax bill last year.  For the average household, this was equal to 2-3 grocery store trips or 8 tanks of gas.  Without this key revenue from visitors, local governments would have to otherwise cut services or raise taxes.  

“These record-breaking metrics are more than vanity numbers—they translate into real visitation, real spending, and real economic impact for our communities,” added Landon Howard, President of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. “Tourism generates key revenue for our localities that lowers our tax bills and provides a better quality of life for our residents.” 

Record Digital Engagement

Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge also achieved major YOY increases across its digital platforms in 2025:

•  2,110,174 unique website visitors – an 11% year-over-year increase
•  7,450,117 social media engagements (likes, shares, comments) – a 16% year-over-year increase

During the 2025 spring campaign period, Visit VBR’s website traffic increased 32%, followed by a 64% surge during the 2025 holiday campaign period.

Strengthening the Regional Economy

The 2025 results underscore the continued momentum of Virginia’s Blue Ridge as a competitive, year-round destination. By strategically targeting drive markets and leveraging data-driven marketing campaigns, the region not only increased visitation but also significantly boosted visitor spending and lodging revenue—benefiting hotels, attractions, restaurants, retailers, and local businesses across the region.

With strong performance across key indicators and measurable returns on investment, Virginia’s Blue Ridge enters 2026 positioned for continued growth and long-term tourism success.

About Virginia’s Blue Ridge
Visit VBR is the official destination marketing organization for Virginia’s Blue Ridge which includes the Cities of Roanoke and Salem and the Counties of Botetourt, Franklin, and Roanoke. The region is easily accessible via the Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport (ROA), Interstate 81, and Amtrak’s northeast regional route. Virginia’s Blue Ridge (VBR) is nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains and along the Blue Ridge Parkway, providing a metro mountain mix of exciting outdoor adventure with refined culture.  For more information, go to www.VisitVBR.com. 

Media Contact
Kathryn Lucas
Director of PR – Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge
klucas@visitvbr.com
540-342-6025 ext. 129