Not so long ago, mention of a web in Virginia might mean a lazy afternoon watching a spider spin its lace across a lilac bush. Today, it has a very different meaning, especially where tourism is concerned.

The industry that supports 169,000 jobs, brings 50 million visitors every year, contributes $9.6 billion annually to the economy and generates more than $70 million in state and local taxes, has gone high-tech, too.

An online system -- VISIT Virginia (Visitor Information System for the Interactive Traveler to Virginia) -- is in its first full year of operation after being unveiled at last year's White House Conference on Travel and Tourism. If you want to check out Virginia, all you have to do is log on to http://www.Virginia.org.

Virginia Tourism Corp. graphic A trip to the Internet Web site VISIT Virginia -- Visitor Information System for the Interactive Traveler to Virginia -- is designed to attract tourists to the state.

The VISIT Virginia database includes descriptions, directions to, admissions and fees and handicapped-accessibility for more than 6,000 attractions across the state. It also holds about 600 images of state sites and covers 114 separate topics. The 1996 Calendar of Events has 540 listings and the system includes 121 links to other Virginia web sites.

In other developments, the Virginia Department of Tourism in summer 1996 became the Virginia Tourism Corporation, with Patrick A. McMahon as its president. The change was made to free the state tourism industry from unnecessary levels of bureaucracy and render it better able to compete in the global marketplace.

The organization is a part of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (until 1995, the Virginia Department of Economic Development), and has a board of directors who will serve staggered terms designed to transcend gubernatorial administrations. Previously the VDED and the Tourism Division reported to the state's governor, who is elected for a single four-year term -- an arrangement that often brought politics into the economic development and tourism arenas.

Once visitors arrive in the Old Dominion, however, high-tech and politics take a backseat to the state's historic charm and scenic beauty, which contribute greatly to the overall quality of life.

Many sites in Virginia are included in every American's history lessons: Jamestown, Yorktown, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Richmond, Appomattox. But lesser-known destinations offer equally fascinating attractions. Many people are familiar with Northern Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery, Manassas Battlefield, Wolf Trap and Quantico because of their proximity to Washington, D.C.

Here also are horse country, with its heart in Middleburg; Old Town Alexandria with its cobblestone streets and 1,000 preserved and restored 18th and 19th century buildings; the 1803 plantation mansion of Oatlands at Leesburg; and much, much more. It's hard to travel through any part of Virginia without wandering past a national or state historic marker.

And Virginia offers more than history: It boasts the world's longest pleasure beach at Virginia Beach; the longest section of the Appalachian Trail along its western border; a growing wine country with vineyards and wineries scattered across the commonwealth; underground caverns at Luray; and, in the spring, Historic Garden Week in Virginia, billed as "the nation's largest open house," with more than 32 locations in the state sponsoring tours of historic homes and churches and their gardens.

Virginia's moderate climate encourages outdoor activity year-round, and the state has allotted more than two million acres for public recreational use, including 33 state parks, 11 state forests, two national forests, a major national park, a national recreation area, four scenic parkways, a national seashore, one interstate park and many wildlife and waterfowl management areas. Water is a prime attraction with the state's 1,500 miles of coastline, rich saltwater sport areas, 450 public fishing streams, 1,500 miles of trout streams, Chesapeake Bay and nine inland impoundments or reservoirs. And golfers are not forgotten: They will find 155 public and private courses, including nationally ranked courses at The Homestead at Hot Springs, the Williamsburg Inn/Golden Horseshoe and the Kingsmill and Colonial Golf courses at Williamsburg.

The Shenandoah Valley is honeycombed with spectacular limestone caverns, with dazzling formations that have been millions of years in the making.

Lovers of the arts will delight in the state's 11 professional symphony orchestras, 10 community orchestras, 250 art, history and science museums, 24 visual arts centers, 11 professional theaters and two professional ballet companies. Fans of major theme parks can enjoy Paramount's Kings Dominion at Doswell and Busch Gardens/Water Country USA at Williamsburg.

Sports enthusiasts will find professional baseball, with AAA teams at Richmond and Norfolk; professional hockey in Norfolk, Richmond and Roanoke; NASCAR auto races at Martinsville and Richmond; professional soccer and, this year for the first time, women's professional basketball in Richmond. Various locations across the state also host jousting tournaments, polo matches, steeplechase races and sailing regattas.

Whether your idea of a dream vacation starts with retracing the steps of Pocahontas or the flight of the first space rocket, Virginia is an ideal destination.

--Frances Helms