THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 17, 1994 TAG: 9408170404
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
At least half the potential tourists within a day's drive of Hampton Roads don't know where or what it is.
According to a survey of 1,000 households from North Carolina to New York, released by Norfolk marketing officials Monday, tourists know some of the individual cities in Hampton Roads but don't understand how they're tied together as a region.
``We've got a product that nobody knows what it is, where it is, or what it's for,'' said Dan Ballard, a retired advertising executive leading Norfolk's effort to draw more visitors to the area.
The survey was conducted in May and June, just as Norfolk launched an advertising campaign in eight Northeastern and mid-Atlantic cities promoting ``The Virginia Waterfront.'' The campaign, which continues through the fall, seeks to link Williamsburg, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and nearby attractions in visitors' minds as one destination.
``This study confirms our suspicions all along that we weren't readily identified,'' said Mayor Paul D. Fraim.
``There's a lot of terrific information in this that will help us with our planning,'' said Sam Rogers, Norfolk's new director of marketing,
Ballard has said all along that ``Hampton Roads'' isn't a good name for the area. For him the study confirmed that notion.
``From a fundamental point of view, when you have a name that doesn't communicate what your destination is, you have a problem,'' Ballard said. ``If I were in a position to do something about it, which I'm not, I'd be saying, `Gee, we have a problem here.' ''
Norfolk officials believe tourism is their best bet for strengthening and diversifying the local economy.
``This is the industry that has the most ability to expand...This is about jobs.'' ILLUSTRATION: IN THE SURVEY...
About 48 percent had heard of hampton Roads and knew it was in
Virginia.
Nearly everyone - 94 percent - had heard of Norfolk, Williamsburg
or Virginia Beach, but they usually didn't associate them with
Hampton Roads.
Asked where they thought ``The Virginia Waterfront'' was, 66
percent correctly said southeastern Virginia.
Most people overestimated how long it takes to get from one part
of the region to another.
KEYWORDS: SURVEY TOURISM HAMPTON ROADS
by CNB