The president and CEO of Visit Fairfax believes an expected increase of $6.5 million a year in funding for promoting local tourism can be leveraged to create more than $1 billion annually in new economic activity countywide.
The tourism sector’s impact on the county economy “will get to $5 billion a year,” potentially within the next “three to five years,” Barry Biggar predicted at the Board of Supervisors’ Economic Initiatives Committee yesterday (Tuesday).
That would represent a 28% increase from the $3.9 billion that tourism-related activity currently fuels annually in Fairfax, according to data from the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
“We believe that is very reachable,” he said.
The additional $6.5 million in tourism-promotion funding is coming from revenue generated by the Oct. 1 increase in the county’s transient occupancy tax from 4% to 6% on room rates. An additional 3% tax for transportation funding brings the total tax to 9% assessed on stays.
The 2% increase is anticipated to bring in an additional $13 million in annual tax revenue. Under state law, half must be devoted to tourism promotion.
Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk pegged the estimated 28% increase in economic growth as a “pretty aggressive” projection, but he and other supervisors agreed that the increased funding for tourism promotion undoubtedly would have a positive impact.
“The opportunity is real,” added Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, who chairs the committee.
In his presentation, Biggar laid out three recommended uses for the additional annual money:
- $1.5 million for a Tourism Promotion Fund, which would accumulate through the years, providing support for capital improvements and new facilities
- $1 million to provide matching grants for promotional activities to the tourism industry for the first time
- $4 million to ramp up direct marketing and events in support of the county’s tourism industry
At the meeting, supervisors informally instructed County Executive Bryan Hill to move forward with incorporating the proposals into his fiscal year 2027 budget plan, to be released next February.
After several supervisors pressed for specifics, Hill asked for time to put plans in place.
“This is just a concept … so I can incorporate it into the budget,” he said. “The details are definitely forthcoming.”
The proposed Tourism Promotion Fund could be used to support the longstanding desire of some Fairfax leaders to create a sports authority to finance and operate athletic facilities in the county.
“This could be the first time we actually put money into [sports tourism],” Board Chair Jeff McKay said, calling it “a real no-brainer.”
“The devil is in the details,” McKay added, but “we’re off to a great start.”
Biggar also proposed bringing the nonprofit group Celebrate Fairfax under the Visit Fairfax umbrella.
Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez said that should be looked at as an opportunity, while Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity suggested the county should first work with the organization to develop a “clear vision” for Celebrate Fairfax’s future role.
“We need to revisit the mission,” Herrity said.
Celebrate Fairfax was previously best known as the organizer of the annual Celebrate Fairfax Festival. Since deciding in 2022 to end that summer event, the nonprofit has shifted to supporting more frequent but smaller events around the county, with the PARC at Tysons as its base.
The organization was enlisted by the Board of Supervisors this summer to coordinate local celebrations of the country’s 250th anniversary over the next year.
Before bringing its overall proposal to supervisors, Visit Fairfax conducted more than 200 engagement sessions with 1,500 stakeholders in the tourism industry. McKay thanked those in the industry who “really got together and put in the work” of developing ways to spend the additional hotel tax revenue.
Established in 2004, Visit Fairfax is a nonprofit “destination marketing organization,” or DMO, that operates separately from, but in collaboration with, the county government.
Biggar has served as president and CEO since 2008, having spent the preceding five years heading a similar organization in Texas.
Photo via Visit Fairfax handout
