National Harbor Hires Director of Tourism

National Harbor announced Monday that it has hired Josh Winston, CDME, as its first director of Tourism. Winston’s hire comes at a time of record growth for the destination with the recently opened Tanger Outlets and The Capital Wheel, and MGM National Harbor opening in 2016, according to a news release.

Old Town Alexandria offers water taxi service to and from National Harbor. The destination is an easy drive from Alexandria, across the Potomac, taking the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on I-495.

The 350-acre resort community has become a significant driver of tourism and economic growth for Prince George’s County, Md., and the state of Maryland, and Winston’s newly created position aims to continue this momentum. National Harbor attracts 11 million visitors each year, and was recognized for the first time in Cvent, Inc.’s “Top 50 Meeting Destination in the United States” 2013 list as the 26th most popular meeting destination in the country.

“National Harbor has evolved into a powerful tourism driver and economic engine for Prince George’s County, the state of Maryland, and the region,” said Angela Sweeney, VP, Marketing & Communications, Peterson Companies. “We are proud to bring Josh on as our first Director of Tourism, and look forward to continuing to boost tourism and economic growth in the area.”

In his new role as Director of Tourism for National Harbor, Winston will be responsible for heightening the awareness of National Harbor and all of its collective partners to the tour and travel industry. He will lead all sales initiatives to drive both domestic and international leisure travelers to the destination. Winston comes to National Harbor from his role as Director of Domestic Sales for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. There, he facilitated and developed key strategic industry relationships for one of the country’s largest leisure travel destinations.

Winston has received numerous awards for excellence in sales from The National Association of Career Travel Agents (NACTA), Professional Travel Agents of North America (PTANA), and Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI).