n LOUDOUN
Pg. 4 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 7, NO. 33
Pg. 8 | n EDUCATION
Pg. 10 | n OBITUARIES
Pg. 19 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
We’ve got you covered. In the mail weekly. Online always at LoudounNow.com
Pg. 27
JULY 7, 2022
Beyond the Pandemic, Loudoun’s Tourism Industry Ahead of the Curve BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com
Tuesday night. And the debates may continue—the supervisors’ vote only amends the comprehensive plan. Next will come design, engineering, and finding funding for the project, work that could take years or even decades. But Rt. 15 is now eventually envisioned to include traffic calming, sidewalks and
As area hotels begin to reach pre-pandemic occupancy and rate levels, Loudoun’s tourism leaders are building on the lessons learned during the past two pandemic years to put the industry back on a trajectory to achieve a $2 billion annual impact. The Visit Loudoun Board of Directors last month approved a new three-year strategic plan aimed at promoting the experiences that visitors—and local residents—say they want most. President and CEO Beth Erickson said the organization’s 2020-2022 plan was transformational with its recognition of the value of marketing to the 400,000-plus in-county customers, as well as those coming from afar to visit eastern Loudoun’s restaurants and nightlife and western Loudoun’s wineries, breweries, and natural spaces. Surveys of visitors, residents and businesses that were conducted to guide the priorities for the next three years found that strategy not only helped support the businesses during the pandemic, but also built a loyalty to Loudoun’s brand as a destination. Among the key findings were that 82% of visitors were likely to return and 81% would recommend that friends or family visit. Seventy-eight percent of business owners surveyed identified tourism as important. And 70% of residents said they supported tourism in the county. Erickson said that cross-section of support, while rewarding to those on the frontline, isn’t found in other tourist-oriented communities. “That is a huge number of any destination,” she said of the resident support tally. “We’re not seeing friction in Loudoun. What we’re seeing is an industry that is thriving and is
RT. 15 continues on page 39
VISIT LOUDOUN continues on page 39
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Traffic rolls down Route 15 near Farmer John’s Stand south of Lucketts.
Supervisors Pass Rt. 15 Plan BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
County supervisors have taken a vote years in the making, amending the county’s comprehensive plan to change the vision for Rt. 15 north of Leesburg from a two-lane rural road to one with four-laned, median-divided sections, roundabouts, and a bypass west of the Village of Lucketts.
And, with safety concerns on the road today, they also voted to look for more near-term fixes while those longer-term solutions wait their turn in the county’s capital planning. Rt. 15 has been the subject of debates over widening and other road work since the early 2000s. Those debates continued up to the moment of the Board of Supervisors’ divided vote
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