For Immediate Release – May 8, 2026 

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Harrisonburg is going to the dogs, and a new grant will help the City tell everyone about it.

Harrisonburg Tourism received a $15,000 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC)’s Destination Marketing Organization Grant Program for its Fido-Friendly Harrisonburg marketing campaign. The grant will be used to fund a marketing campaign focused on the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore metro areas and beyond, encouraging dog lovers and their pups to make the trip to Harrisonburg. It will include a combination of magazine ads, digital eblasts and influencer posts and launch this summer.

“This marketing campaign was inspired by Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance’s dog-friendly campaign, which highlights the large number of dog-friendly attractions in the area,” Harrisonburg Tourism Manager Jennifer Bell said. “This campaign highlights that Harrisonburg is Friendly by Nature to pet owners and their four-legged friends.”

VTC awarded more than $2.2 million in matching grant and sponsorship funds to 143 tourism programs across the Commonwealth in celebration of National Travel & Tourism Week. These awards are funded through VTC’s Marketing Leverage and Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) Marketing Programs.

Harrisonburg Tourism is a division under the Economic Development Department which serves Harrisonburg by promoting the community as an attractive tourist destination, supporting Harrisonburg’s tourism-related businesses, providing promotional materials to showcase Harrisonburg, working with travel professionals to schedule meetings and conferences and managing the Hardesty-Higgins Visitor Center. The mission of Harrisonburg Tourism is to promote Harrisonburg as a unique travel destination and enhance the community’s public image as a dynamic place to live, work and visit with the goal of strengthening the local economy, creating jobs and providing opportunities for local businesses.

Find more information on Harrisonburg Tourism online.

The City of Harrisonburg is centrally located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It is home to approximately 56,879 people. More information about the City of Harrisonburg is online at www.HarrisonburgVA.gov.

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Contact: Jennifer Bell, Harrisonburg Tourism Manager
Jennifer.Bell@harrisonburgva.gov