At the beginning of the peak tourism season, the Suffolk Division of Tourism brought home honors in several categories from the Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus’ spring meeting.

The meeting was held May 21-22 in downtown Hampton. The VIRGO Travel and Tourism Awards pay tribute to individuals, groups, businesses and marketing organizations that significantly contribute to the state’s economy through tourism promotion and development.

Earning the award for Best Visitor Center was city’s Visitor Center, the repurposed Nansemond County Courthouse with a newly constructed event pavilion behind it.

The city also won Best Eco-Tourism Initiative for the 10th annual Suffolk Swamp Roar Motorcycle Rally, for raising awareness of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and providing support for the Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival.

Finally, the city also won Best Heritage Tourism Initiative for the “Legends of Main Street: A Suffolk Ghost Walk” as a low-cost way to cultivate an interest in Suffolk’s history and heritage while generating tourism revenue.

In addition, the Coastal Virginia Tourism Alliance, of which Suffolk is a part, received the award for Best Regional Marketing Initiative.

The VIRGO awards are so named, according to a press release from the city, because Virgo is a Latin derivative of the name Virginia and related to Virtus, the Roman goddess on the state’s flag. In addition, Virgo is one of the largest constellations in the sky and was used by early settlers and explorers as they visited new worlds.

For more information on Suffolk tourism, contact the Suffolk Visitor Center at 514-4130, email VisitSuffolk@suffolkva.us or visit www.Suffolk-Fun.com.