The Norfolk Tourism Foundation has supported and ensured the vitality of the city’s tourism and hospitality industry for more than two decades, but on Dec. 31, due to funding constraints, the foundation’s board paused its operations.
Leaders foresaw the coming suspension of operations about a year ago as they felt the decline in financial backing and lack of dollars to operate on a regular basis, said Kurt Krause, president and CEO of VisitNorfolk. Norfolk Tourism Foundation is the charitable arm of VisitNorfolk.
“This is not a leadership thing. The money just isn’t there,” Krause said. “It’s a horrible and regrettable situation that something that people have believed in for 20 years has unfortunately run its course at this time, but I’m not giving up on it because I think the foundation is a valuable thing to do.”…