Half-Millionth Visitor to Eastern Shore Welcome Center

Kerry Allison, Executive Director of the ES Tourism Commission; Jacques and Shirley Dumoulin; Fred Stant, CBBT Commission Chairman; Allan Burns, ES Welcome Center Manager; and Bill Murphy, ES Welcome Center Volunteer.

By KERRY ALLISON
Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission

May 17, 2014

Jacque Dumoulin and his wife, Shirley, driving from Florida to Pennsylvania to visit family, needed a break after they arrived on the Virginia Eastern Shore via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and stopped at the rest area on the right. As is often the case, they noticed the tiny, cheerful and information-rich visitor center housed in the same building and decided to take a look around.

When Mr. Dumoulin walked through the Welcome Center door, he was greeted by Allan Burns, center manager, as the official half millionth visitor to the Eastern Shore Southern Gateway Welcome Center, which opened in August 2009. It’s another milestone for the center, which has seen increases in utilization every year since opening and averages 10,000 visitors monthly.

The lucky Dumoulins were showered with gifts, all local treasures donated by Eastern Shore businesses. “We can’t wait to tell our daughter and her family,” Dumoulin said. “We’ve never stopped here before and had no idea this area was so interesting.” He pointed to the 3D map of the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, one of the state-of-the-art features of the Welcome Center, which has four attention-grabbing light box displays, two 3D exhibits, a real-time video weather feed, videos showcasing local attractions, area restaurant menus, and over 200 rack cards touting everything from history, recreation, shops, restaurants and lodging to upcoming events. A touchscreen information kiosk in a corridor just outside the center helps visitors who stop in during off-hours.

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The idea for a visitor center on the Eastern Shore’s southern tip started small back in 2006 as a pilot project in the confines of a then much-smaller rest area. After thirty thousand travelers stopped to learn more about Virginia’s Eastern Shore and all there was to see and do, the pilot was deemed a huge success and expansion plans got underway.

Today, the Welcome Center is a critical piece of marketing the Virginia Eastern Shore to visitors, with a ready army of expert volunteers to help steer folks off 13 and into the nooks and crannies of the Virginia Eastern Shore to shop, dine, play and stay.

The growth of traffic to the center has far surpassed initial expectations, says Jeff Holland, Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel executive director. “It has been a tremendous success. Utilization has exceeded the original “pilot project” projections by more than 50 percent. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission applauds the excellent work of the Tourism Commission and looks forward to a continued partnership that will benefit multitudes of local businesses and visitors from near and far for many years to come.”

One of the keys to the Welcome Center’s success is the volunteer staff who have an in-depth knowledge of Virginia’s Eastern Shore and eagerly share their love of the area. They are warm, helpful and always willing to go the extra mile to help a traveler. Center manager Allan Burns remembers the time a woman arrived pulling a horse trailer with seven horses. Wind restrictions delayed her trip across the bridge, she was out of feed, and the horses were getting restless. A quick phone call to Connie Rittenhouse of Cape Charles Carriage Horses, and a pickup truck arrived loaded with bales of hay. Welcome Center staff introduced yet another visitor to that well-known Eastern Shore hospitality.

“We are very proud of our customer service philosophy,” says Lisa LaMontagne, Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission chair. “Our Welcome Center staff and volunteers transmit the unique culture of the Virginia Eastern Shore to each person who walks through the door and are top-notch ambassadors for our region. Their efforts cause thousands of people to stop and explore the area who normally would just drive through.”

Virginia’s tourism industry generated over $21 billion in revenue in 2012. On Virginia’s Eastern Shore, lodging tax collections for Accomack and Northampton counties – one of the most accurate measures of visitor activity, grew nearly 17% from 2008 to 2012, even during a time of grave economic challenge in the broader U.S. economy. Visitors to esvatourism.org – the Eastern Shore’s comprehensive visitor website — have increased 148% since 2011.