Historic properties to fold into Prince William parks and rec dept., under proposal

The Prince William County Parks and Recreation Department has updated its tourism master draft plan for 2020, a document focused on projecting community needs in the next 10-15 years.

The plan discusses in part how historic sites are assets for tourism and looks into how to utilize these sites to boost economic gains.

The plan, which is apart of the Prince William County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism’s Systemwide Master Plan, now includes the mergers of Prince William County’s Historic Preservation Division and Office of Tourism into the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism.

The Historic Preservation Division has been a part of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism for almost two years, but this is the first time the Prince William County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism’s Systemwide Master Plan includes historic sites in the planning process.

The expansion of the Master Plan to include tourism and historic preservation comes If the department is folded into parks and recreation, it would come three years after the department took on the role of tourism promotion after county leaders voted to dissolve “Discover Prince William/Manassas,” a partnership between the county and Manassas City that aimed to promote the region to visitors.

The tourism plan now under consideration addresses improving visitor experiences at the county’s parks, recreational facilities, historic sites, and promoting heritage and sports tourism. It also focuses on securing public and private partnerships as well as private development investments that benefit county residents and the economy.

Heritage tourism focuses on showing the history and heritage of an area through experiences, structures and historic sites. Prince William County has 15 historic sites managed by the Historic Preservation Division. Some sites are open daily, while others are open by appointment only, and others are currently closed to the public. In 2019, almost 150,000 people visited the county’s historic sites, with 35% of visitors being from out of the county.

Sports tourism draws visitors from across the east coast to the county’s 472 sports venues that host sports events and tournaments. This includes youth, amateur, collegiate, professional, minor league, and motorsports. It also offers 11 public golf courses, 2 indoor Olympic pools, an ice arena, and fields for softball, baseball, and soccer.

Furthermore, the county currently owns 63 developed parks, which offer a number of activities for visitors, including:

• Two 18-hole golf courses
• One 9-hole leisure golf courses
• 116 sports fields
• Two waterparks
• 6 outdoor pools
• 2 aquatics and fitness centers
• A skate park
• A marina
• A dog park

“The plan provides an opportunity to fully realize the synergies created by the mergers such as incorporating new historic interpretive storytelling into the Department’s recreation program and developing outdoor recreation, sports tourism, culture, history, heritage, agri-tourism opportunities and more,” said Ann Marie Maher, Director of Tourism in Prince William County.

Due to changes in consumer travel patterns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, the state and Office of Tourism’s COVID-19 recovery plan now includes a primary marketing focus on the local and drive markets. 

“The plan is based on the level of service standards outline in the plan and is designed to address the needs of the community,” said Brent M. Heavner, the Communication Services Division Chief of the Prince William Department of Parks and Recreation.

The planned budget for the Office of Tourism this year is $1.5 million, funded by the county’s hotel tax. Budget spending will focus on supporting the coronavirus tourism industry’s economic recovery efforts.

The tourism discussions are master plan is part of the Prince William County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Systemwide Master Plan.

“The plan is based on the level of service standards outline in the plan and is designed to address the needs of the community,” said Brent M. Heavner, the Communication Services Division Chief of the Prince William Department of Parks and Recreation.

The draft is available to the public online at pwcgov.org/parks.

Prince William County’s tourism economy currently ranks 9th in the Commonwealth in total visitor spending, and in 2018, over 6,662 hospitality and tourism professionals were employed in Prince William County.