Destinations

Virginia Is For Lovers, There’s No Doubt About It

Representatives from Virginia and five of the state’s top tourism areas were in Toronto this week to talk about new products that are on offer in 2019 and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the state’s iconic tourism logo, Virginia Is For Lovers.

The visit also made it clear that the state’s love affair with the Canadian market – which is Virginia’s top international market – continues, with the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Brigitte Belanger-Warner telling Press Today that more than 400,000 Canadians visit the state each year.

As for the state’s iconic logo, well believe it or not, Virginia Is For Lovers was launched in 1969 and over the course of five decades it has become one of the most recognized slogans in the world.

As Belanger-Warner told a travel trade audience at Joey Eaton Centre in Toronto last night (May 8), Virginia Is For Lovers means different things to different people.

Virginia, she said, is for lovers of beaches, craft beer, wine, food, history, mountains, music, the great outdoors, golf, motorcycling and a whole lot more.

In 2019, to mark the anniversary, Virginia will be celebrating 50 Years of Love with a wide range of special experiences that will be found right across the state.

Certainly those attending the Toronto event had their own special experience, as their hosts from Virginia provide them with an opportunity to take a virtual tour of the state’s vineyards and learn all about Virginia wine.

To round out the evening, Patty Williams, Lexington and Rockbridge Area Tourism, Ryan Downey of the Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau, Erin Goldmeier of the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitor Bureau, Sarah Hughes of Visit Norfolk and Ali Morris of Vist Fairfax provided those attending the event with the latest news from each of their destinations.

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In the photo

Seen, from l to r, are Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Brigitte Belanger-Warner; Lexington and Rockbridge Area Tourism’s Patty Williams; Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau’s Ryan Downey; Virginia Beach Convention & Visitor Bureau’s Erin Goldmeier; Visit Norfolk’s Sarah Hughes; and Vist Fairfax’s Ali Morris.