With tourism on the rise across Virginia, you may think most visitors are flocking to wineries scattered through the Virginia Mountains or sitting on a beach along the coast. But it’s Central Virginia that’s leading the state in tourism growth, and Chesterfield is ranked 7th among Virginia’s top 10 tourism destinations.
River City Sportsplex was even named one of the nation’s premiere amateur sports venues, attracting nearly a million total visitors in fiscal year 2026.
Sports tourism remains one of Chesterfield’s strongest economic drivers. The county hosted 166 sporting events last year, bringing thousands of athletes, coaches, families, and spectators who stayed in local hotels, dined in local restaurants, and shopped at local businesses.
Across Viginia, tourists contributed approximately $99 million a day to the economy. It’s an all-time high for Virginia, totaling $36.2 billion in the last year, and is continuing to support communities and strengthen the economy.
In 2023, Chesterfield established the Sports, Visitation and Entertainment Department to generate tourism opportunities, attract events, and fortify the strong, growing local economy right here in the county.
The department is funded through the county’s transient occupancy tax, with revenues dedicated specifically to resident and visitor experiences and related infrastructure.
The strategy continues to produce strong results.
“Chesterfield has made a long-term commitment to investing in the places and experiences that make our community a great place to live and a great place to visit,” said J.C. Poma, executive director of Sports, Visitation and Entertainment. “We’ve built a diverse tourism economy that attracts visitors year-round for sports, leisure, business and family travel. Those visitors support our local businesses and generate meaningful tax revenue that is reinvested back into our community, demonstrating how a strong visitor economy creates benefits that extend well beyond tourism.”
Chesterfield has continued to invest in facilities that serve residents year-round while also attracting regional and national tournaments. Improvements at River City Sportsplex, the reopening of the Rockwood Park baseball and softball complex, and renovations to the Chester Athletic Complex, along with planned championship stadiums and additional hybrid turf fields, continue to strengthen the county’s ability to attract more visitors.
Those visitors, in turn, support the local businesses that strengthen the economy and broaden the county’s tax base.
This fall, citizens are voting the “1 For Schools” sales tax referendum. If voters approve, it would fund six high-priority school construction projects. It would also support capital renovations at the county’s 68 learning facilities by supporting projects such as roof replacements and ongoing HVAC maintenance.
Unlike real estate and property tax, however, the 1% sales tax would not be paid solely by Chesterfield residents. Because millions of people visit the county each year, they would also contribute.
Approximately 25% to 30% of the estimated revenue generated by the sales tax would be paid for by nonresidents. If adopted, the Board of Supervisors has signaled it would consider reducing the real estate tax rate by 2 cents and the personal property tax by 10 cents to help offset costs for residents.
Together, these efforts reflect a long-term strategy that extends beyond this fiscal year and the next. It is part of a years-long effort to expand commercial investment, grow tourism, and diversify revenue sources.
Chesterfield is creating a broader financial foundation to support critical infrastructure and services, such as schools. As the county continues to grow, that diversified approach helps ensure more of the cost of providing high-quality services is shared by businesses and visitors, not just residents.