Two Alexandria tourism organizations will receive a combined $35,000 in state matching grants as part of a statewide initiative to boost off-season travel, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday.
The grants, distributed through the Virginia Tourism Corporation, are among 104 awards totaling more than $627,000 given to local tourism programs across the Commonwealth. Local partners committed an additional $729,992 in matching funds, generating more than $1.3 million in new marketing initiatives that will benefit 624 tourism partners statewide.
Alexandria’s allocations include $5,000 for Spirited Tours’ winery tour support program through the Microbusiness Marketing Leverage Program and $30,000 for Visit Alexandria’s “Vacation Starts with VA Philly Takeover” campaign.
The Philly Takeover campaign, which launched last month and runs through the end of October, is a comprehensive marketing initiative targeting Philadelphia-area residents. Visit Alexandria is partnering with VTC and several other Virginia destinations — including Fairfax County, Culpeper, Norfolk, Prince William County, and Virginia Beach — on the effort.
The two-month campaign features high-visibility promotions at multiple Philadelphia Phillies games, subway advertisements at NRG Station in Philadelphia and branded Carvertise vehicles at various events throughout the city.
Alexandria’s exposure at Phillies games reached 160,000 fans in the stadium during a four-game stretch in September and 1.3 million viewers on broadcast television, according to Visit Alexandria.
“This is an excellent opportunity for us, as location data indicates that the Philadelphia metropolitan area drives the second most visits to Alexandria of any market outside of the D.C. region,” said Andrew Postal, director of communications for Visit Alexandria, in an email Friday.
Visit Alexandria extended the campaign’s reach through a targeted social media ad campaign aimed at Philadelphia-based audiences, driving over 6,800 visits to a custom landing page and reaching more than 350,000 unique profiles as of Sept. 30.
The organization also hosted Philadelphia-based influencer @pustika_samaddar for a collaborative destination Instagram Reel as part of the “Philly to ALX” promotion. The promoted reel has amassed 780,000 views, with over 94% coming from users who weren’t already following Visit Alexandria on Instagram, Postal said.
In total, website traffic from Philadelphia in September and early October grew 84% year-over-year, indicating success in building awareness for Alexandria in the key market, he said.
“Philadelphia is a key drive market for Virginia, and this campaign will connect directly with travelers seeking authentic, memorable experiences,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation, in a September news release.
“Virginia’s recent record-breaking tourism numbers reflect the strength and potential of this industry to drive economic growth across the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said Friday in a news release. “These grants will expand that impact by helping destinations and small businesses market themselves more effectively, thrive during the shoulder season, and welcome travelers year-round.”
The grants are funded through three VTC programs designed to leverage limited local marketing dollars with state funds to drive travel and visitor spending during fall, winter, and early spring. The programs use Virginia’s “Virginia is for Lovers” brand and employ a hub-and-spoke tourism model to create engaging itineraries that extend visitor stays.
The Microbusiness Marketing Leverage Program helps small tourism-related businesses with 20 or fewer full-time employees amplify marketing efforts during the shoulder season from September to May. The Vacation Starts with VA DMO MMLP Co-op Program supports destination marketing organizations in executing targeted campaigns. A third program, the VA250 Tourism Marketing Program, builds awareness for the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence.
“Channeling dollars back into our cities, counties, and towns through tourism marketing grants is an instant revenue generator,” said Juan Pablo Segura, Virginia’s secretary of commerce and trade, in the release. “With tourism as the front door of economic development, these grants are a critical part of Virginia’s growth strategy to increase revenue and create jobs.”
VTC will open additional marketing grant programs quarterly in 2026. Organizations and businesses interested in applying can visit vatc.org/grants for more information.
A full list of funding recipients is available online.
