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Going online and abroad: Visitors association launches broader marketing to attract the young and international traveler
The baby boomer generation has already caught on to the fact that Loudoun County has special towns, cozy wineries and historic areas to visit throughout the year. But the younger generations are not yet coming in droves to visit the county during their spare time.
“[Loudoun County tourism] is solidly anchored in baby boomers,” said Cheryl Kilday, president and chief executive officer at the Loudoun Convention and Visitors Association.
To get younger generations of tourists to make Loudoun a stop during their travels, LCVA has launched Web videos of the county on popular social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube.
“It's all about getting us in front of the eyes of young people,” said Brian Jenkins, electronic marketing manager with LCVA. “We don't want to change what Loudoun is -- it's about where we advertise.”
Younger audience
The new multimedia program is part of the Tourism Destination Strategy supported by the Board of Supervisors. Under the leadership of the LCVA, tourism industry partners collaborated and participated in the development of the videos, which are mini-documentaries.
The intent behind the Web videos is to place the advertising videos on sites that the younger generations tend to visit.
“[The Web videos] give us the opportunity to target a younger demographic, including generations X and Y, by providing them content in a method they prefer, namely downloadable videos,” Kilday said. “Targeting these segments will allow us to grow our visitor base and economic impact.”
According to a 2003 study by Randall Travel Marketing Inc., most tourists in Loudoun are retirees, homemakers, educators and other professionals about 50 years old, mainly traveling from the mid-Atlantic states (Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, New York and Virginia).
Another marketing tool LCVA is using to enhance the county is the current unfolding of branding of Loudoun – from “Discover the Best of Virginia ... Rediscover Yourself” to “D.C.'s Wine Country.”
Loudoun County has more wineries than any other county in the commonwealth of Virginia, being home to 16 of the state's 130 wineries.
“Wineries and vineyards are popular with the young,” Jenkins said.
Reaching overseas
This new brand also is aimed at getting people from the four- to five-hour travel range to come to the county and stay overnight.
“We have always done well with day-trippers,” both Jenkins and Kilday said. But the 2003 study stated that the county needs to focus more on getting the overnighters into the county.
Kilday pointed out that when the study was done, the county was recovering from the downturn in travel after Sept. 11, 2001, and LCVA focused more on the two- to three-hour traveler.
This summer, LCVA is pumping up its advertising in publications such as the New York Times, Where Magazine and Go Smithsonian to reach a more distant tourist segment.
Tourism is already a large market in the county, providing 15,493 jobs. In 2007, visitors spent almost $1.2 billion.
LCVA -- while marketing a new brand for the county and by getting on board with 21st century marketing technology -- also is extending its reach overseas by targeting the international traveler.
A month ago, Kilday traveled to Germany with Scott York, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, and other county representatives to begin a business relationship between the two governments for business opportunities. Kilday said that while there, she spoke with German tour operators “fine-tuning the message” that Loudoun should send to strengthen its tourism advertising.
“We were looking at what to do to enhance our exposure,” Kilday said.
This month, a LCVA representative will take part in one of the largest travel shows in the United States, the International Pow Wow in Las Vegas, with the Capital Region USA, a tourism organization that focuses on attracting overseas visitors.
To learn more about tourism attractions in Loudoun, read reviews of local venues or to view tourism marketing tools and publications, visit LCVA at www.VisitLoudoun.org.
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