[JYO] Tourism Recovery Effort To Promote Town Airport

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Tourism Recovery Effort To Promote Town Airport
<A HREF="mailto:andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx";>Andrew Parker</A> 

Sep 27, 2002 -- The Leesburg Executive Airport will receive $70,000 of a $2 
million Tourism Industry Economic Recovery Program to boost tourism in the 
Washington, DC metropolitan area following the terrorist attacks last year. 
Loudoun’s hotels suffered a dramatic drop in occupancy, down 42%, and 
revenues fell 52%, according to county staff reports. Congress approved $2 
million for economic recovery last fall, and the grant includes the counties 
of Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William and Arlington and the cities of 
Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax. Loudoun received a $350,000 share of 
the funding and is planning to use it as part of a wider regional tourism 
recovery plan administered by the Northern Virginia Visitor Consortium. 

But plans on what to do with the Leesburg Airport’s share of the funding has 
not cemented. 

“There isn’t a plan yet,” said Christina Winn, community economic 
development advisor for Loudoun County. “It’s just starting to get ramped 
up. We haven’t worked out the details,” she added. The town and county 
Economic Development Departments and the Loudoun Convention & Visitors 
Association will “brainstorm” on what to do with the airport funding and 
their proposals will then be forwarded to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors 
and the Leesburg Town Council. Public input will be received at that level, 
according to Winn, and should be included in hearings sometime at the 
beginning of next year. 

The objectives of the airport tourism effort are to: establish a “gateway” 
into the airport, possibly including a visitors kiosk; increase corporate 
flying and flight school business; market meeting space in the additional 
space created by the terminal expansion; and seize opportunities between the 
airport and the Dulles Air & Space Museum.

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