Alexandria’s tourism industry reached an unprecedented milestone in 2024, generating more than $1 billion in visitor spending for the first time in the city’s history, Visit Alexandria announced Thursday during its annual meeting at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center.
The historic achievement represents an 8% increase from $941 million in visitor spending in 2023 and marks a dramatic recovery from pandemic lows of $445 million in 2020. Alexandria’s growth rate outpaced both Northern Virginia and the Commonwealth of Virginia as a whole, according to data released by the tourism organization.
“For the very first time, Alexandria is a $1 billion tourism economy,” said Todd O’Leary, Visit Alexandria’s president and CEO, addressing an audience of hospitality industry leaders, city officials, and business representatives. “That’s right, $1 billion with a B.”
The surge in tourism generated $88 million in consumption tax revenues for the city in fiscal year 2025, surpassing the previous year’s $86 million. These revenues from sales, meals, and lodging taxes directly support core city services while saving the average Alexandria household $832 per year, according to City Manager Jim Parajon.
“That $88 million, which is a big, big number, means that we can fund more books in the library,” Parajon told the audience. “That means another teacher in the classroom. That means just a little bit more that we can do for our community.”
Caption: Alexandria’s visitor spending reached $1.016 billion in 2024, up from $941 million in 2023, marking a dramatic recovery from the pandemic lows of $445 million in 2020.
Credit: Visit Alexandria
The milestone announcement coincided with Visit Alexandria’s unveiling of a comprehensive five-year strategic plan covering fiscal years 2026 through 2030. The plan outlines four strategic focus areas: Sales and Marketing, Destination Management, Destination Alignment, and Organizational Sustainability.
O’Leary said the organization has invested in foundational research elements, including commissioning Alexandria’s first visitor profile study since the pandemic began. The research provides updated insights into visitor travel motivators and preferences.
“We will work with our members to create new immersive visitor experiences, the kind that are so rich and meaningful that guests are compelled to post about them on social media,” O’Leary said.
The strategic plan includes developing Alexandria’s first tourism master plan, designed to enhance visitor experiences and identify growth opportunities for the local tourism industry. The organization also plans to work with hospitality partners to train 200 frontline employees through a new hospitality program by the end of fiscal year 2028.
Alexandria’s tourism success has been bolstered by significant national recognition. The city rose to No. 5 on Travel + Leisure’s “Best U.S. Cities” list in 2025, marking its highest ranking ever on the prestigious publication. Alexandria also earned recognition as one of Condé Nast Traveler’s “Best Small Cities in the U.S.” for the seventh consecutive year.
Visit Alexandria secured more than 1,000 media stories for the ninth consecutive year, including a feature on NBC’s TODAY Show, where meteorologist Al Roker praised the city. The organization’s marketing efforts generated over 200 million digital impressions, resulting in approximately 640,000 website referrals to member businesses.
Credit: Visit Alexandria
The $1 billion milestone marks a remarkable recovery trajectory from the pandemic’s impact on the travel and hospitality sector. The achievement comes despite economic headwinds affecting the broader Washington, D.C., region.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins expressed amazement at the city’s ability to attract visitors in an increasingly competitive market.
“We are a $1 billion tourism industry,” Gaskins said. “Every time I hear that, I’m a little blown away. Because we live in a world where people can truly go anywhere. I mean, we’re right down the street from DCA. You can literally get on a plane and go anywhere. But what that statistic means is that people are not going anywhere. They’re saying, ‘I want to come to Alexandria.'”
The tourism industry supports more than 5,700 jobs in Alexandria, according to Visit Alexandria data.
Visit Alexandria has expanded its membership base to 456 businesses and launched a comprehensive member survey to understand the needs of its members better. The organization plans enhanced member programming, including orientation sessions and educational series designed to help businesses connect with Alexandria’s visitor economy.
The tourism organization also highlighted its participation in major international events, including serving as the official team base camp for the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ain FC during the FIFA Club World Cup, demonstrating Alexandria’s capacity to handle high-profile international partnerships.
As Visit Alexandria moves into fiscal year 2026, the organization has set ambitious targets, including maintaining visitor spending above $1 billion by fiscal year 2027 and achieving consumption tax revenues exceeding $100 million by fiscal year 2029.
Credit: Visit Alexandria
The strategic plan also calls for developing co-op marketing opportunities for members by fiscal year 2027 and growing the organization’s annual budget to $7 million by fiscal year 2030.
O’Leary emphasized the collaborative nature of the achievement, noting that the growth reflects “hard work, creativity, and collaboration from everyone in this room.”
Visit Alexandria’s annual report, and additional research and reports are available on the organization’s website.
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