Visit Loudoun Reaches Milestone: 500 Certified Tourism Ambassadors Trained in Destination

LEESBURG, VA — Five years after launching Virginia’s first and only internationally recognized Certified Tourism Ambassador Program, Visit Loudoun gained its 500th CTA member at a training session at Nomad in Middleburg this week.

The Loudoun CTA program is a series of fun, interactive classes that highlight the county as a welcoming destination and train hospitality professionals, volunteers, and residents to answer questions, recommend attractions, and create outstanding visitor experiences. Upon completion of the certification, participants become part of the Loudoun CTA community, which includes Lunch and Learn webinars about local attractions, educational visits to sites such as Oatlands Historic House & Gardens and Dodona Manor, networking opportunities at breweries and wineries, and popular events such as Polo in the Park and the Tarara Summer Concert Series. CTA volunteers also get discounts at local businesses and attractions, encouraging them to experience sites themselves to better share with visitors.

“Five hundred CTAs to me is a great sign of success, and the fact that our partners cite it so often is indicative of that,” Visit Loudoun President and CEO Beth Erickson says. “The program equips our frontline employees with a deeper knowledge of Loudoun and all the rich experiences, and they in turn get to make recommendations that truly enhance the visitor experience.”

Developed by the Tourism Ambassador Institute, the international CTA program was launched in 2006. Since then, more than 60,000 individuals have been certified in the United States and Bermuda.

The 500th Loudoun CTA milestone coincided with the release of Visit Loudoun’s new three-year strategic plan, “Elevate Loudoun: A Bold Roadmap for Strengthening Loudoun’s Visitor Economy,” which extends the renowned D.C.’s Wine Country® brand while inspiring more overnight stays and ensuring tourism benefits to all Loudoun communities.

The data-driven plan was developed through comprehensive assessments including 900 survey responses from residents and visitors, focus groups, and meetings with 80 key stakeholders. The plan establishes five strategic imperatives to optimize Loudoun’s visitor economy while preserving the authentic rural character and innovative spirit that make the destination special for both residents and visitors.

Expanding and enhancing the CTA program is one of the key strategies of the plan.

“The success of the CTA program was often cited as a model and many emphasized the importance of building stronger bridges between Visit Loudoun and the community to cocreate visitor experiences that are both strategic and soulful,” the strategy document reads.

It calls for increasing the number and diversity of trained ambassadors across Loudoun’s hospitality, retail, and attractions sectors and regular training updates to reflect Loudoun’s evolving brand and visitor expectations.

“This plan represents more than just our next chapter — it builds upon the remarkable success Visit Loudoun has achieved in establishing Loudoun as D.C.’s Wine Country® and a premier East Coast destination,” Erickson said. “As we look toward the future, we recognize that Loudoun stands at a pivotal moment in its evolution, with tremendous opportunities to extend our brand and leverage the full spectrum of our destination assets to ensure our visitor economy continues to contribute to the economic vitality of our community.”

Posted on: October 16, 2025