FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA - March 4, 2016 - Tourism is a proven economic driver for Fairfax County, generating $2.85 billion in spending and supporting nearly 30,000 jobs*. Given this established success and the increasing impact of tourism in the Northern Virginia region, Visit Fairfax President & CEO, Barry Biggar, was recently recognized as one of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing & Revenue Optimization by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI).Congratulations, Barry!

The Top 25 recipients, who were presented with this honor at the Adrian Awards Gala in New York City, were selected based on their creativity and innovation, cutting edge sales or marketing campaigns, triumph in challenging situations, and sales efforts that resulted in dramatic gains. Mr. Biggar finds himself in good company alongside other industry leaders of hospitality giants such as Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, Google, and Expedia Media Solutions. The HSMAI Adrian Awards are well-known in the industry as one of the largest and most prestigious global travel marketing competitions.

In addition to Mr. Biggar's award, Visit Fairfax also received the Bronze Adrian Award in Digital Marketing for its Storytellers Video Series campaign. This is the seventh Adrian Award that Visit Fairfax has received in the last two years. This great recognition from an industry leader as prestigious as HSMAI supports the ongoing efforts made by Visit Fairfax to increase tourism in Fairfax County, a destination where the average visitor spend results in more than $2.85 billion annually. Visit Fairfax's contributions pay off when it comes to return on investment - the organization saw a return of more than $43 in visitor spending for every $1 spent on marketing*.

# # #

About Barry Biggar

Mr. Biggar has been President & CEO of Visit Fairfax since 2008. He is internationally recognized as a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME), has served on the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) Board of Directors and has chaired DMAI's Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) as well as the Destination & Travel Foundation.

About Visit Fairfax
Visit Fairfax (www.fxva.com) is the official tourism organization for Fairfax County, Virginia. Charged with destination marketing and tourism promotion, it is directed by many of the County's top tourism and hospitality leaders. For more information on the Bronze Adrian Award-winning Storytellers Video Series campaign, visit www.fxva.com/storytellers. Hashtag: #FXVA

 

*Most recent statistics from Virginia Tourism Corporation and U.S. Travel Association.
**Data from a Texas A&M University conversion study last conducted in 2014.