Visit Alexandria‘s newest marketing campaign is tapping into the stories behind businesses, tourist attractions and unique personalities.
From now until June, the Unlock Your Story campaign will tell stories all over Alexandria, focusing on the city’s history, small attractions, and unique small businesses, artists and entrepreneurs. The promotion follows Visit Alexandria’s Best Kept Shh! campaign, which launched three years ago and positioned Alexandria as the region’s best kept secret.
Soccer fans in Alexandria are in for a treat, as the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has announced it will be staying in Alexandria during the FIFA World Cup this summer.
The team’s base camp will be in Alexandria, where players will stay at the AKA Hotel at 625 First Street in Old Town and train at Episcopal High School as they participate in the World Cup. Games will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Jun. 11 through July 19.
Alexandria’s 25th annual Holiday Boat Parade brought gleaming, spirited displays of holiday cheer to Old Town’s waterfront on Saturday night.
Visit Alexandria has announced the winners of the parade today (Monday), with exhibits ranging from a hot pink Chappell Roan theme that captured “Most Spirited Crew” to a playful “Hanukkah Octopus” named Happy that won “Hardiest Soul.” Here’s a look at this year’s winners and categories.
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 has claimed the No. 3 position on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 “Best Small Cities in the U.S.” rankings, extending its streak of top-five placements to eight consecutive years.
The city placed behind Charleston, South Carolina, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, while surpassing popular destinations including Savannah, Georgia, and Honolulu, Hawaii, according to results from the magazine’s 38th annual Readers’ Choice Awards announced Tuesday.
The federal government shutdown is affecting residents and visitors across the Washington region, but attractions, restaurants, shops, and hotels in Alexandria remain fully open for business.
Visit Alexandria announced Wednesday it has launched a dedicated webpage highlighting things to do in the city during the shutdown and is offering free attraction passes to hotel guests and federal employees.
When visitors dine at Alexandria restaurants, stay in local hotels, or shop along King Street, they’re helping fund essential municipal services through the taxes they pay.
Alexandria’s tourism industry generated $88 million in consumption tax revenue during fiscal year 2025, a $2 million increase from the previous year, as visitor spending reached $1 billion for the first time in the city’s history. These taxes on sales, meals, and lodging from visitors traveling more than 50 miles to the city directly support the city’s core services.
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.
Alexandria’s tourism impact, economic trends, upcoming business openings and more will be unveiled later this month in Visit Alexandria‘s annual meeting.
Alexandria’s tourism bureau will hold its annual meeting at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center (5000 Seminary Road) from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25. Tickets cost $40 for Visit Alexandria members and $95 for non-members.
Alexandria Restaurant Week, one of the city’s biggest summer events, will return Aug. 22-31 with dozens of participating restaurants offering special prix fixe menus across the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
The 10-day culinary event, hosted twice yearly by Visit Alexandria since 2009, will feature multi-course prix fixe dinner menus at $30, $40 or $50 per person. Select fast-casual restaurants throughout Alexandria will also offer additional special offers, making it easy to sample a wide range of cuisines at every budget.
Alexandria Restaurant Week will return Aug. 22-31, offering diners 10 days of special menus at dozens of restaurants throughout the city.
Participating restaurants across Alexandria’s neighborhoods will feature prix fixe dinner menus priced at $30, $40, or $50 per person for in-person dining. Fast casual establishments will also offer additional specials and discounts during the event.
