Loudoun County will host next year’s national Wine Tourism Conference. The conference, which will be at Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, will also boost the local economy. The conference will mark the first time that the event has been on the East Coast.
In a statement, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said that Virginia was already well on the way to becoming a “premier international destination” for lovers of wine and food. The conference will offer an exciting opportunity to showcase our award-winning wines and world-class wine industry.”
Beth Erickson, president of Visit Loudoun, the county’s tourism association, said that the selection of Loudoun to host the event was announced at this year’s recent Wine Tourism Conference in Paso Robles, California.
“This continues to position us as a culinary destination, and the endorsement from the commonwealth of Virginia speaks to the importance of what’s happening here in Loudoun County and throughout the entire commonwealth,” Erickson said.
Virginia’s wine industry has played an increasingly prominent role in the state’s tourism and its economy over the past decade. Virginia ranks fifth in the nation in number of wineries — it is home to more than 250 — and a 2012 economic impact study revealed that the wine industry adds nearly $750 million to the state economy annually. Virginia has also been recognized among the top wine destinations in the world by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation above 1.6 million tourists visited Virginia wineries last year.
According to organizers Loudoun winemakers and tourism officials will be able to mingle with industry tastemakers from around the world. The conference, organized by Zephyr Adventures, is open to winery owners, journalists, wine associations, wine destination marketing organizations and tour operators. Previous conferences have been in popular wine destinations on the West Coast, including Napa and Sonoma in California and Portland, Oregon.
Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore noted in a statement that sales of Virginia wines have hit an all-time high, with more than 520,000 cases sold in the past fiscal year.
Jennifer Sigal, Visit Loudoun’s media relations manager said guests will “hopefully stay a few days, go to our wineries and go to our restaurants.”
Tourism representatives also think that the conference will promote and help to popularize other wine and culinary-focused events in the area, such as Epicurience Virginia, an upscale food and wine festival that marked its second year over Labor Day weekend.
