Guest host: Linda Parkowski, director of Delaware’s Tourism Office.

Hi, I’m Linda Parkowski, director of Delaware’s Tourism Office. Our goal is to convince travelers to visit the First State – to shop, eat and stay with us. It’s a task with a big impact – adding $2.2 billion a year to our state’s economy and employing 39,000 people.

Promoting tourism in Delaware is enhanced by our concentration of top-notch attractions including tax-free shopping, cleanest-in-the-nation beaches and magnificent museums. But one of our fastest-growing attractions is the array of breweries, wineries and distilleries. With so much interest, we’ve come up with an easy and fun way to experience them all. The Delaware Wine & Ale Trail takes visitors on a tour of 12 wineries, brewpubs and breweries and is part of our assortment of tourist-friendly packages that include the History Trail, the Geocaching Trail and most recently, the Culinary Trail.

The success of these local artisans is due, in part, to their passion and creative spirit. And we work hard to help foster their success and boost the contributions they make to our economy. Just this week, Gov. Markell signed legislation giving these businesses greater capability to expand their operations inside and outside of the state, and allow brew-pubs to expand and enhance their product lines. In turn, we believe the contributions these craftspeople and small businesses make to the state will only increase.

By supporting their continued growth and encouraging visitors from across the country and around the world to come here and experience it themselves we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.

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