Tourism is big business in the Richmond area and it's getting bigger: Visitors pump $1 billion into the regional economy annually.

"What we're talking about with travel and tourism is economic development," said John F. Berry, president of the Richmond Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The booming national economy is fueling an upswing in travel, especially vacations. But prosperity and changing lifestyles are also transforming the way people choose to use their leisure time.

For greater Richmond, the trends mean greater opportunity, Berry told about 150 people attending the Regional Economic Outlook Conference yesterday at the Hyatt Richmond.

The region has seen major expansions in its travel industry. Local hotel rooms, for example, jumped from 10,092 in 1997 to 12,638 in 1999, with 509 more under construction.

Tourists destinations, such as the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and the Virginia Historical Society, have been enlarged and upgraded. Attendance at both has nearly tripled the past two years.

"You really can't see tourists," Berry said. "You don't recognize them here the way you might at Virginia Beach."

But they're here and Richmond is setting its sights on luring even more. A massive expansion of the Richmond Centre, scheduled for completion in early 2003, should help attract national conventions.

Growth along the Riverwalk and the opening of the new Children's Museum should help build the critical mass required to make Richmond a major East Coast destination.

Peter C. Yesawich, a nationally known travel industry consultant, said the country's economic expansion has created opportunities, and challenges, for the tourism business.

"The mood of America has never been more positive," he said. "That's why it's a great time to be in the travel and leisure business."

With people feeling prosperous, leisure travel is growing much faster than business travel.

But people's attitudes about vacations are changing, too, Yesawich said. They're looking for new experiences, added services, better value. They're likely to make their own plans, often using the Internet.

They're looking for greater convenience, leading to a burst in the popularity of one-stop travel shopping and all-inclusive package deals.

And they're feeling pressed for time: long weekends are replacing weeklong stays as the vacation of choice. More families are vacationing together, perhaps because they see less of each other during the normal work week.

The trends toward shorter vacations and family trips could be an advantage for Richmond, Yesawich said. The area is located in the middle of the densely populated East Coast corridor and boasts many family oriented attractions.

Richmond could also benefit from the increasing desire to get "more than a tan" on vacation, thanks to the area's cultural and historic attractions.

But prosperity can sometimes complicate matters. Richard A. Zimmerman, general manager of Paramount's Kings Dominion, said that because of tight labor markets, the theme park expects to hire 450 to 500 students from Europe this year.

"If we didn't do that, we wouldn't be able to open."

The forum yesterday morning was sponsored by the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Richmond Partnership and Virginia Commonwealth University.

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Call Bob Rayner at 649-6073 or e-mail him at brayner@timesdispatch.com
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