With the Fourth of July just around the corner, tourism is feeling the heat — literally — and costs are rising, but visitors are still making plans to celebrate here in Southwest Virginia.

The USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championship returns to Southwest Virginia this week.

After over a year of closures and detours, the Roanoke River Bridge is back open on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

A much-anticipated train rolled into Downtown Roanoke from Washington D.C. on Monday and was greeted by city leaders and residents – The arrival marked a new chapter of transportation to and from Roanoke.

The Liberty Trust hotel, a new boutique hotel in downtown Roanoke, is set to open in the fall of 2021.

ROANOKE, Va. – With flight cancellations, restaurant closures and empty hotels, it’s no surprise the tourism industry was hit hard by the pandemic. After organizing trips for 25 years, the coronavirus pandemic shut down Roanoke Tours Inc. in a blink of an eye. “I never dreamed of it going down like at a snap of a finger… That’s the end,” Ernie Dale, president of Roanoke Tours Inc. “I’ll be honest it made you sick to your stomach,” Bradley Boettcher with Roanoke Blacksburg Regional Airport. Relying on business travel, the airport normally sees about 60%, but now, business travel is only about five to 10%.

ROANOKE, Va. – Tourism boards in Southwest Virginia received a financial boost to help attract visitors through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virginia Tourism Corporation awarded a total of $80,000 to five tourism boards. The awards included:$20,000 for Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge$20,000 for Botetourt County$20,000 for the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce$10,000 to the Town of Rocky Mount$10,000 to the City of SalemVisit Virginia’s Blue Ridge President Landon Howard said his organization’s $20,000 will be spent mostly on online marketing. He believes regional travelers will look to the Roanoke Valley for a getaway. “Those people may not be traveling to Europe for a two or three week vacation, but they will do weekend trips to places like Virginia’s Blue Ridge.”

ROANOKE, Va. – The Star City has over 1,000 miles of trails and greenways in the area for folks to enjoy and one magazine recognized what the Roanoke outdoors has to offer. Roanoke is this year’s winner of the Large Top Adventure Town contest by “Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine." The city defeated both Chattanooga, Tennesse and Asheville, North Carolina in the finals. "Roanoke in Virginia’s Blue Ridge is the perfect location to be a Trailsetter and find all kinds of unique outdoor adventures, said Landon Howard, president of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. “We’re thrilled to be named a Top Adventure Town by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine and appreciate everyone who cast their vote in support of Roanoke!”This 2020 win marks back-to-back Top Adventure Town titles for Roanoke and it’s the fifth Top Town title in the past nine years.

ROANOKE, VA. – Fall foliage is right on the horizon and each year thousands of people hit the Blue Ridge Parkway to see them. But this year, there’s one hitch — the Blue Ridge Parkway is still closed from Explore Park in the Vinton area to Bent Mountain from prior storm damage. Despite that, Roanoke Valley tourism leaders said this might actually be a good thing for the region’s hospitality industry, which is badly hurting from the COVID pandemic. Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge President Landon Howard said that could be right in front of Pascal’s door. Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge recognizes this plan welcomes people into the region during an ongoing pandemic, which is why it continues to push social distancing, face coverings and strict sanitation procedures.

ROANOKE, Va. – Tourism in Virginia’s Blue Ridge is starting to rebound now that the state has begun to reopen. Landon Howard, President of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, said Thursday a lot of families from Virginia and North Carolina are asking for information about outdoor activities. Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge’s visitors center in Roanoke will reopen June 12. According to data provided by Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, tourism industry revenue was down an average of 70% over the last three months compared to last year. He’s also still hopeful there will be a strong rebound in tourism in 2021.

ROANOKE, Va. - A portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway indefinitely closed for repairs could be back open soon. The National Park Service superintendent met with Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge President Landon Howard in Roanoke Friday. Work to repair the closed section of the parkway is expected to happen next week, weather permitting. "Being open in October is just really, really critical. In fact, October is the best tourism month of the year for Virginia's Blue Ridge and the Roanoke region," Howard said.