VA1 Summit gives tourism pros chance to talk

The annual VA1 Governor’s Tourism Summit provides a space for folks in the industry to learn, network and share ideas.

“It’s a real ecosystem of everyone being under one roof — lots of hotels, restaurateurs, state and local officials,” says Rita McClenny, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corp. (VTC).

It’s also more accessible for some organizations with smaller budgets than attending a national conference, McClenny notes. At VA1, industry professionals can hear about the latest innovations in tourism without buying a plane ticket to Vegas.

“We expect to sell out,” McClenny says of the event, which typically caters to about 500 guests.

A joint effort by the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association, a trade organization that advocates for its members; VTC, the state agency charged with promoting Virginia as a travel destination; and the Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations, an association of independent destination management organizations and supporting businesses, the summit runs Nov. 19 to 21. This year’s event will be held at Danville‘s Caesars Virginia, the 587,000-square-foot resort and casino that opened in late 2024. Each year, the VA1 summit moves to a different location, although it’s typically held in a larger city or locality.

“I think a lot of people, they don’t necessarily make it to Danville, so it’ll be good for them to see it,” says Eric Terry, VRLTA‘s president.

A popular topic of conversation at this year’s event, Terry expects, will be the drop in international tourism. In October, the U.S. Travel Association forecast that international travel will decline 6.3% this year, with Canadians driving the decrease and other countries’ rates remaining flat.

“It’s going to be critically important to see what [2026] looks like vis-à-vis the World Cup coming to America, and [the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution],” Terry says.

While there have been reports of international tourists detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Terry doesn’t expect Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration will keep international travelers from attending Virginia events celebrating U.S. independence next year, although Canada and European countries have issued travel warnings.

“I think a lot of that hysteria has gotten overblown a little bit,” Terry says. “Is it having some impact? Sure, but not nearly what the media is kind of portraying.”

VA1 attendees will also likely be sharing ideas about artificial intelligence, he adds: “Everybody is trying to figure out how to work with AI.”

In addition to giving the state’s tourism leaders a chance to compare notes on issues facing their organizations, VA1 has numerous speakers scheduled who will discuss topics ranging from public relations strategies for communities that have suffered natural disasters to how to win first-time visitors.

Speaking at the summit for the first time will be Simon Jones, the Raleigh, North Carolina-based founder of NatureScapes, which helps draw visitors to nature destinations and improve sustainability at these sites. Jones also launched subsidiary TourismWORKS, which provides tools for destinations and tourism businesses to simplify their business processes.

At VA1, Jones will talk about how tourism leaders can build partnerships with farmers to create attractions that captivate visitors.

Farmers have different needs, he says. Some would welcome ideas about how to generate steady cash outside of their crops. Those farmers may be willing to go whole hog, doing things like hosting special dinners or building cabins to rent to tourists.

Others might have less time to invest but would be open to renting sites to campers or hunters.

The 2026 VA1 summit will be held at the Spotsylvania County waterpark that Kalahari Resorts & Conventions expects to open in November 2026, according to a VTC and VRLTA news release in June.