Visit Baltimore, formerly the Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association (BACVA),[1] is a quasi-public organization started in 1980 by then-Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer. The agency is charged with bringing in tourists and conventions into the city of Baltimore, Maryland, but does not manage the actual convention venues, hotels, or museums in the city.
In 2004 BACVA launched a totally redesigned website. An major event for BACVA in 2004 occurred in May when they officially opened a totally new Baltimore Visitors Center which was radically different from the old visitors center which was inside an antiquated modified construction trailer. The new Baltimore Visitors Center is 8,000 square feet (740 m²) and is located next to the Light Street Pavilion of Harborplace and has a unique design.
In 2005, BACVA made a joint effort with the Baltimore Development Corporation to pitch a controversial $305 million, 752-room Hilton Hotel to the Baltimore City Council in an attempt to bring in more conventions to the Baltimore Convention Center. In 2006, BACVA succeeded in its joint effort with the BDC to have a Hilton Hotel built directly adjacent to the Baltimore Convention Center. The hotel is expected to open in August 2008.
In 2009, BACVA made a decision at their annual meeting to change its name from the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association to Visit Baltimore to make it more easier for the public to recognize Baltimore's tourism agency and that it followed a industry standard at the time of having tourism agencies have a name that reflect their mission.