Alexandria’s businesses are working hard to stay strong as the pandemic has rocked daily life and the local economy, according to leaders from Visit Alexandria, the local, independent nonprofit that promotes Alexandria tourism.
In response, in the coming months, Visit Alexandria will be focusing its marketing regionally, with expanded shop small and buy local promotions. In addition, Visit Alexandria will target the small meetings market and hybrid meetings, where some participants are on site and some are remote.
In addition, microweddings will be featured in marketing for engaged couples. Black History will continue to be a point of emphasis, with new walking and driving tours.
Destination Analysts data showed that seven in 10 people are still very concerned for their personal health, and it is affecting their travel plans. Destination Analysts data shows that while people really miss dining out and vacations, hotel occupancy will remain lower than past years through 2021.
That has hit the City of Alexandria in the wallet. Earlier this month, Mayor Justin Wilson reported that in July 2019, the City collected $2 million from our dining tax. This July, it was $1.2 million. The same month, hotel taxes were $200,000 versus $1.1 million versus a year ago. Together, the consumption-based tax revenue loss from February through July has been more than $12 million.
Of the people who do plan to travel, about 45 percent plan to do so only regionally — making Visit Alexandria’s plans to focus on regional travel a smart way to support local businesses.
Unlike past years, the Visit Alexandria Annual Meeting was virtual due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, but Visit Alexandria used The Westin in the Carlyle neighborhood as its live broadcast studio.
In setting the stage for the meeting, Mayor Justin Wilson said, “I have been inspired over last 6 months to see businesses bravely fight,” through the most difficult year in recent history, with creativity, flexibility and partnership. Not only have local businesses worked hard to support their own employees, but many have reached out to support other businesses as well — even businesses that would, in normal times, be competition. “They have proven we are all in this together.”
Visit Alexandria CEO Patricia Washington noted that thousands of Alexandria residents depend on the tourism and hospitality industries for their livelihood. Despite the pandemic downturn, she is optimistic about what Alexandria officials are doing to bring back tourism, safely, in the coming months. “We are an incredibly determined and resilient industry,” Washington said.
Alexandria was on track for an incredible year, economically, with high rates of hotel occupancy and tourism, even through the Metro shutdown in the summer of 2019 — until coronavirus arrived.
Calling it “two years in one,” Washington said the story of July 2019 through February 2020 was very different than the story from March through June this year.
“Fortunately for Alexandria, our civic leaders had more foresight than most,” Washington said, City leaders met in late February to discuss action plans. That meant that just a few days after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic in March, Visit Alexandria was able to launch ALX at Home, providing residents and visitors with a hub of information on shopping with curbside pickup, take-out dining and more. In the following months, cocktails to go, farmers’ markets to go and virtual events popped up.
Visit Alexandria also shifted its focus to promoting all ways regional visitors and residents could stay safe while supporting local restaurants, hospitality and businesses, including the ALX Promise program, which put business owners and staff through specialized trainings to ensure safety. The popular outdoor dining initiative has given a boost to local restaurants, as well, as was the revamped Alexandria Restaurant Week To-Go. Restaurant Week was so popular that Visit Alexandria extended it through Labor Day.
The meeting closed with a video tribute to the resiliency of Alexandria's businesses.
