Barry Biggar
Barry Biggar
President & CEO
Visit Fairfax
Through Barry’s leadership and guidance, Visit Fairfax executed multi-faceted marketing and sales campaigns using ARPA funding through the Virginia Tourism Corporation. These campaigns have already translated into over 795,000 visitors to Fairfax County who spent over $211 Million in direct tourism spending for Fairfax County businesses in the first nine months alone (as of December 2023). Those same travelers booked 15,000 flights into the Washington Metropolitan Region over that same period, benefitting not only the Dulles Corridor but also the entire DMV.
Barry was instrumental in securing the 2015 World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) for Fairfax County. This international event, the second largest multi-sport amateur sports event in the world next to the Summer Olympic Games, brought over $86 million in economic impact in just ten days, immensely benefitting the entire the region while simultaneously recognizing and uplifting our first responders and our entire community. Subsequent to the event, Barry was awarded the prestigious Duke Nyhus Award (named for the founder of WPFG) by the California Police Athletic Federation in recognition of his commitment to first responders. The Duke Nyhus Award is the highest honor bestowed by the organization.
In part due to the incredible economic impact of the games and Barry’s personal role in bringing the event to the region, the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce honored Barry with their 2015 Innovation Star Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the businesses of the Dulles Corridor.
Since Barry joined Visit Fairfax in 2008, the tourism economy in Fairfax County doubled, bringing well over $3 Billion annually in tourism spending to Fairfax County businesses and supporting the quality of life of our citizens. These visitors to the Commonwealth contribute hundreds of millions in taxes each year that not only benefit our citizens but also our businesses in the Dulles Corridor and throughout the region. Hundreds of thousands of those visitors arrive and depart through Washington Dulles International Airport.
Throughout his entire career, Barry has been a strong advocate for international visitors, supporting the pursuit of those international markets that primarily benefit our international airport at Dulles. He has worked tirelessly with international operators to redirect the more traditional entry points of New York and Florida to Virginia and Dulles International. Through his sales and marketing efforts at Visit Fairfax, Barry has participated in numerous international economic development missions with both local government and state officials to promote international visitation to the region.