The New River Valley Visitor's Alliance spun off from the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance several years ago, when the parent group's board recognized tourism as an economic development factor in the valley. "If we didn't do something, someone would come in from the outside, Dollywood or somebody, and recognize it for us," said Randy Jamison, an architect who is president of the Visitor's Alliance.

So the organization developed a plan, starting with a two-year state grant to get it on its feet. Once that was done, the Visitor's Alliance would seek funding from a part of meals and lodging taxes from the valley's governments.

But then state funds were curtailed following general state budget cutbacks, Jamison told the Montgomery County Economic Development Commission when he spoke at its meeting Thursday.

And the organization's funding level now? "Zero. Volunteer effort," he said.

By contrast, the Roanoke Convention and Visitors Bureau has an annual budget of about $1 million and a staff that includes 10 full-time employees, according to Debora Wright, its director of marketing.

"For me, it's a personal thing, too, because I believe in the potential of the New River Valley," Jamison said. "I believe we have a lifestyle here that's different from the rest of Virginia and well worth promoting."

He said the organization started by working with valley chambers of commerce before moving on to enlist the help of local governments.

"That model actually worked very well," he said. "But what we found, too, is that none of them had a mission of tourism. The Visitor's Alliance took on that mission." It also worked with the Blue Ridge Travel Association, which represents Southwest Virginia.

The group has had some accomplishments. It printed and distributed hundreds of visitor cards plugging the valley. It followed up with a magazine on the valley, with some 200,000 copies given out so far.

It also got enough money from some localities to maintain its toll-free number, which Jamison answers himself. It is also developing a strategic tourism plan for the valley. But its Web site had to go.

Annette Perkins, a member of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, said it may be a hard sell to persuade local governments to give up any food and lodging tax revenue to promote tourism because, right now, it is being used to offset rising real estate taxes.

But Jerry Kopf of Radford University said the investment would make sense if it could bring in more visitors who would spend more money. "It all boils back to marketing," he said.

Ron Rordam of Blacksburg noted that Virginia Tech athletic events fill motels and spark restaurant business on specific weekends, but localities have higher policing and other expenses at those times, too.

Jamison said tourism is a clean industry where visitors spend locally but localities do not have to add schools or other services to accommodate them. A visitor is unconcerned about where the border lies between a town or county when looking for tourism attractions, he said, which is why a regional approach to advertising those attractions makes sense.