ABINGDON – Regional marketing approaches such as “The Crooked Road,” “‘Round the Mountain,” and the new “Appalachian Spring” initiative provide significant opportunities to highlight Southwest Virginia’s rich musical heritage, diverse artistic culture, and unique natural assets, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) said today. Sen. Warner was the keynote speaker at The 2013 Southwest Virginia Creative Economy Conference, held in Abingdon.

“What I’m talking about is the continued regional investment in the improvement and development of Appalachia’s naturally existing assets,” Sen. Warner said. “It includes authentic bluegrass and traditional American music, and unique crafts and agricultural products. It also includes your remarkable outdoor recreation assets, such as our state parks, mountain trails, white-water rafting, and hunting,” Sen. Warner said.

Later today, Sen. Warner is set to appear on stage to launch the 2013 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, a three-day music and cultural festival that will attract 50,000 visitors to Southwest Virginia.

During today’s keynote address at the Abingdon conference, Sen. Warner said a regional approach which links together and jointly markets tourism assets allows the region to significantly strengthen its small businesses. It generates additional revenue from visitors, Sen. Warner said, while also maximizing the impact of diminished economic development support from federal, state and local sources.

As Virginia’s Governor from 2002-6, Sen. Warner targeted federal tourism grants and state economic development support to help launch “The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.” This successful marketing initiative links significant historic sites and music venues across 10 counties, 10 towns and three cities. Heartwood, the artisan center in Abingdon, serves as a gateway to “The Crooked Road,” and it also helps anchor an artisan network branded across the region as “‘Round the Mountain.” Similar artisan and craft ventures in North Carolina generate approximately $122 million in annual revenue.

“It makes no sense that people will go to Asheville, North Carolina, where they have developed this entire cultural destination, because Southwest Virginia has much better artisans and much more authentic music,” Sen. Warner said. “Asheville may have mountains, but they don’t have this region's deep history and rich culture. There is a whole combination here that others simply don’t have.”

The two-day Southwest Virginia Creative Economy Conference showcases the successful impact of the region’s craft and traditional music assets on tourism and economic development. Presentations also illustrated how the region’s outdoor recreation and other natural assets could serve as the next stepping stone for Southwest Virginia’s economic growth, attracting more businesses and creating new jobs through an initiative branded “Appalachian Spring.”

As Governor, Sen. Warner aggressively promoted the region’s state parks and outdoor recreation. In 2005, he launched a rail-to-trails initiative to redevelop nearly 50 miles of abandoned railroad tracks into recreational trails for biking and hiking. As a U.S. Senator, he returned to Southwest Virginia in September 2012 to announce an $815,000 federal grant to boost outdoor recreation and related small business development in southwest Virginia.

“Asset-based development is a gold mine of opportunities for your entrepreneurs because local businesses create local jobs and keep the money here at home,” Sen. Warner said. “As tourism and the demand for Appalachian products increases, so does the demand for lodging, restaurants, and shopping options. Who better to meet this demand than local entrepreneurs?”

“You have my full support,” Sen. Warner said, “because I have seen up close the potential it promises.”