Costello replaces Ann Marie Maher, who led the county’s tourism office between 2010 and 2021.
Costello currently serves as the President of the Steuben County Conference and Visitors Bureau in New York’s Finger Lake region. In his previous position, he served as Director of Economic Development and Tourism for the Town of Abingdon, Virginia, and Tourism Coordinator for Botetourt County, Virginia.
Over his 16-year career, Kevin has developed several programs such as the Wine Trail of Botetourt County, the Upper James River Water Trail, the Abingdon Music Experience, and Rooted in Appalachia. Under his leadership, the Abingdon Convention and Visitors Bureau was recognized as the Tourism Office of the Year by the Southeast Tourism Society in 2014. He has a Master of Tourism Management from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Tourism Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
The county’s tourism office is funded by the transient Occupancy Tax, revenue collected by area hotels.
According to a press release, tourism is a critical aspect of the county’s efforts to achieve the quality of life goals established in the local government’s 2022-24 Strategic Plan. Most notably, tourism spending fuels small businesses and creates jobs.
Prince William County is one of the top ten travel destinations in the Commonwealth of Virginia, according to a 2019 Virginia Tourism Corporation study, based on visitor spending of $640 million.
The County is home to 48 hotels with 4,875 rooms. In 2019, 7.5 million people visited Prince William County attractions.
