Following nationwide trends, Alexandria tourism continues to normalize to pre-pandemic metrics, according to Visit Alexandria, the city’s tourism organization.
Cost continues to be the primary reason people choose not to travel, but inflation, while still high, is back within a normal range. According to statistics cited by Visit Alexandria during its annual What’s New Alexandria event Monday morning, many measures indicate a reassuring bounce-back of travel. The hospitality workforce has recovered to only 1% below peak levels, consumer confidence is on the rise, and more economists believe that we are headed toward a soft landing, rather than a recession.
In the D.C. area, this has meant Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport travel is back to pre-pandemic levels. And while work travel spending is still lagging, leisure travel spending is projected to reach 100% recovery in 2024. This is indicative of a continuing trend; more people are mixing work with leisure travel, a trend that has not reversed in the post-pandemic years.
Vito Fiore, vice president of marketing and research at Visit Alexandria, noted a few other travel trends to keep an eye on. About 30% of American households are single people and solo travel is on the rise. Trips also tend to be more spur-of-the-moment, with the majority planned less than four weeks in advance. In surveys, both consumers and businesses expect that AI tools will impact travel. And climate change, compatibility of values, and destination politics all affect when and where people travel.
Coming Up in 2024
With the increased popularity of remote work, another trend has been a decline in traditional work spaces, as well as “third spaces,” where people go to enjoy hobbies and build community. Here are some of the new places you’ll be able to visit to find connection and community this year.
- With award winning interior design, Hotel AKA will expand its offerings with a kitchen, expansive 2nd floor terrace, ballroom, boardroom, and pilates studio
- Hotel Heron is on track to open in the 1926 George Mason Hotel building in spring of 2024
- The city’s last standing waterfront warehouses will house a new market and tavern, Cooper Mill
- The sixth installation of Site See will depict a piece of very, very old history — an asteroid that stuck the earth 35 million years ago
- ALX275 will feature special editions of summer festivals, exhibits, and a craft beer from Port City Brewing Company to celebrate the city’s 275th year anniversary
- Visit Alexandria also encouraged residents to vote for Alexandria in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards, saying that rankings play a measurable role in bringing visitors to the city. Learn more here.
