RICHMOND -- Virginia tourism officials are hoping to attract foreign travelers as the U.S. economy worsens and domestic vacationers threaten to stay at home.

Virginia Tourism Corp. is pushing the state as a vacation destination for international visitors by maintaining a presence at travel industry trade shows and printing travel guides in five languages.

International tourists are sought after because they tend to stay longer and spend more money than their domestic counterparts, tourism officials said.

The average international traveler visits two states, stays 16 nights and spends more than $1,600 per visit -- more than twice what a domestic traveler spends -- according to Capital Regional USA, made up of the Virginia Tourism Corp.; the Washington, D.C., Convention and Visitors Corp.; Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority; and the Maryland Office of Tourism Development.

The Capital Regional group spends about $2 million annually to attract foreign travelers. Virginia Tourism increased its share by $55,000 to $350,000 last year to attract travelers in the United Kingdom to the 400th anniversary commemoration of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the United States.

Dulles International Airport, with about 300 international flights arriving each week, helps the region draw visitors from several countries, said Diane Bechamps, vice president of marketing at Virginia Tourism Corp.

The Washington region is the fourth most-popular tourist destination in the United States for Germans, with nearly 140,000 visiting each year, according to Capital Region. Only New York, Florida and the Southwest attract more.

Domestic and international tourists spent $17.7 billion while vacationing in Virginia in 2006, according to the latest figures from the Virginia Tourism Corp.

The tourism industry generated more than $1 billion in state and local taxes in 2006 and employed about 208,000.

Tourism officials say they believe foreign travelers are receptive to visiting the United States, especially because of the dollar's weakness.

"We're optimistic and think it will be a good year," Bechamps said.