Tourists and visitors to Alexandria are spending a healthy amount of money in town.
Tourism spending from travelers residing more than 50 miles away from Alexandria grew 17.6% to a record $941 million in the 2023 calendar year, according to state data, Visit Alexandria Board Chair Kate Ellis announced.
Visit Alexandria
In the 2024 fiscal year (which ran from July 2023 through June 2024), Alexandria city consumption tax revenues, which include sales, meals and lodging taxes, reached a record $86 million. This surpassed the previous record set in Fiscal Year 2023 ($81 million) and was up 30% over pre-pandemic levels. An estimated 71% of consumption taxes are paid by non-residents, saving the average Alexandria household $822 per year.
Among consumption tax sectors, the biggest gain was in lodging, which has been the lagging sector throughout COVID recovery.
Visit Alexandria attributed the success to a variety of initiatives that led to "top-tier media coverage and accolades in Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler and more, multi-channel marketing with the humorous “Best Kept Shh!” destination advertising campaign, rapid expansion of video content and aggressive meeting sales efforts worked to increase awareness and drive visitation."
Recent initiatives include 48hoursinoldtown.com, which includes a video by YouTube stars The Detour Duo.
Visit Alexandria hired a new President & CEO earlier this year, Todd O’Leary. He has taken over for Patricia Washington, who retired this summer after 12 years as CEO.
Upcoming initiatives for Visit Alexandria, as it continues to promote Alexandria tourism, include expanding the neighborhoods program to spread the positive impacts of tourism to more areas within the city, leveraging major events such as the U.S. Presidential Inauguration and WorldPride DC in 2025, and continuing to grow meetings and group travel to drive mid-week business.
The annual meeting included a sneak preview of the organization’s new holiday campaign, “Merry Me.” The Hallmark movie-style campaign with a humorous twist depicts Alexandria’s feeling of holiday magic and connects visitors to the breadth of seasonal experiences.
