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Garber and her friend, Kristina Rasmussen, also of the District, said they took a taxicab into National Harbor and would do it again for other events of interest. They even said such events could push them to venture further into the county.

‘‘We never come here, but maybe this will make us want to explore Prince George’s more,” Garber said.

The food and wine festival offered more than 300 selections of wine during the two-day event that featured events such as a traditional clam bake, chef demonstrations, book signings, wine tastings, panels and lectures, said show manager Lynn Schwartz.

The festival is expected to become an annual staple at National Harbor, Rocell Viniard, National Harbor’s director of marketing.

‘‘We were thrilled overall with this being a first-time event,” Viniard said. ‘‘And it’s going to continue to grow over time. This is going to rival major wine festivals around the country.”

Viniard said there was no final count on people who attended. But surveys of the vendors and patrons taken by National Harbor, though, showed the festival was a success.

‘‘It was just the perfect setting,” she said. ‘‘Right there on the water. And the weather even cooperated on Saturday.”

M.H. Jim Estepp, president of the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable, said the festival was a first step in making Prince George’s County a regional and national destination.

‘‘The beauty of it is that it’s a regional project,” Estepp said. ‘‘It’s drawing people from the region to Prince George’s County. Now we have this incredible venue. It’s the signature project of Prince George’s County.”

Stacy Adams-Zier, who owns the Tastings Gourmet Market in Annapolis that had a booth at the festival, said she had never given much thought to expanding her business into Prince George’s County. But after the weekend’s event, she said she might start shopping her goods around.

‘‘This makes Prince George’s way more attractive,” Adams-Zier said. ‘‘It shows off the county very well.”

The festival attracted visitors from the District, Virginia and Maryland. Prince George’s County residents were on hand to reap the benefits.

Kari Cheney, of Fort Washington, said she came to learn about organic foods and sustainable agriculture from a seminar held at the festival.

‘‘I want to learn how to support local agriculture more,” she said. ‘‘And I have some land so I want to see how to start growing my own food.”

Ed Whitfield, the director of Prince George’s Community College’s Culinary Arts Division, said events such as the wine festival as well as all the hotels going up on site are producing jobs for his students.

‘‘We are training a lot of future employees,” said Whitfield, whose department had a stand at the festival,. ‘‘It takes something like this to lure a lot of different people. It generates jobs so there is a lot more employment for our graduates.”

Whitfield said that with 18 new hotels coming in the next two years at National Harbor, the future is bright for the hospitality industry in Prince George’s County.

Estepp also said the festival and the many events coming to National Harbor will have a multiplier effect.

‘‘This shows people we can be a good host and take something that seems impossible and get it off the ground,” he said. ‘‘This will bring more upscale development. It’s beginning to happen for us and it’s about time.”