RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Forty-five local tourism initiatives will share more than $796,000 in state matching grants. Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the funding from the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Marketing Leverage Program on Monday. The local organizations match the state grant funds by a minimum of two to one. The governor’s office says the result will be more than $3.3 million in new marketing to increase visitation to Virginia. Grant amounts range from $1,700 for the Southwest Virginia Lavender Trail to $50,000 for six programs: The Half-Mile of Mayhem at Martinsville Speedway, The Lynchburg Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau Website Development, Wytheville … There’s Only One, New Ways to Market America’s Historic Triangle, Millennial Marketing Campaign in Abingdon and Mercy Street in Alexandria.
