Press Release

September 16, 2026

Visit Alexandria Celebrates 30 Years of Impact as City’s Tourism Economy Reaches New Milestones 

Record hotel and consumption tax revenues and a second straight year of $1+ billion in visitor spending demonstrate effectiveness of Visit Alexandria’s new marketing campaign and the impacts from two blockbuster events

CONTACTS:  

Andrew Postal, apostal@VisitAlexVA.com, 703-652-6363 

Karishma Singh, KSingh@visitalexva.com, 703-652-5373 

ALEXANDRIA, VA—At Visit Alexandria’s annual meeting on September 16, 2026, the organization celebrated its 30th anniversary with city leaders, organization founders and the hospitality community while showcasing the power of the local tourism economy and the success of its newest marketing campaign. This year’s theme is Celebrating Our Past. Unlocking Our Future. During the meeting, Visit Alexandria announced that visitor spending drove a tourism economy of more than $1 billion for two consecutive calendar years (2024 and 2025). In addition, Visit Alexandria announced that record consumption tax revenue of nearly $91 million, which includes sales, meals and lodging taxes, for the City of Alexandria in Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026).

Visit Alexandria credits its newest destination marketing campaign (Unlock Your Story), America 250 celebrations, and Alexandria’s successful bid to serve as the team base camp for the Croatia National Football Team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup for contributing to recovery during FY26. Specifically:

  • Hotel Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) finished the fiscal year strong to reach a new record of $119, improving from a 9.9% fiscal year-to-date decline in January to 3.0% growth for the full fiscal year through June.
  • From March through July 2026, Alexandria ranked first or second in RevPAR growth every week among Virginia’s 25 hotel submarkets.
  • During the initial Unlock Your Story campaign period (February through June), average length of stay rose from 2.0 to 2.3 days.
  • The share of visitors traveling more than 50 miles to stay overnight rose from 77.1% to 82.2%.

 

The organization also celebrated key accolades achieved, including Alexandria remaining among Travel + Leisure’s top 10 best U.S. cities, and ascending to #3 in Condé Nast Traveler’s top U.S. small cities.

“Thirty years ago, a group of visionary Alexandrians believed this city’s story was worth sharing with the world. Today, that belief has grown into a billion dollar-plus tourism economy that supports small businesses, employs thousands of people, funds city services and welcomes millions of annual visitors to experience Alexandria for themselves,” said Todd O’Leary, President and CEO of Visit Alexandria. “As we celebrate this milestone, we are not resting on our history. We are writing Alexandria’s next chapter, and the record-breaking results of the past two years show that momentum is real.”

“Alexandria’s tourism economy is a hometown success story. Nearly $91 million in consumption taxes means real investments in our schools, our sidewalks and our city services for the residents who live here,” said Mayor Alyia Gaskins. “Congratulations to Visit Alexandria on 30 years of telling our city’s story and thank you for proving that when we welcome the world to Alexandria, everyone benefits – from our small businesses to our residents.”

During its annual meeting, Visit Alexandria Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications Claire Mouledoux and Senior Vice President of Operations and Finance Mary Rinaldo also highlighted several new and enhanced initiatives the organization will be focused on in FY27.

A new meetings campaign will debut in 2027, which will be designed to attract more group business to Alexandria. The meetings campaign will build on the success of the consumer-facing Unlock Your Storycampaign, which itself will evolve with expanded storytelling and new neighborhoods content. New programming will include developing the destination to participate more meaningfully in the accessibility segment, a $50+ billion and growing market. Also announced were new co-op marketing opportunities and efforts to develop and execute an enhanced technology strategy, including an organizational AI strategy and governance framework.

Additionally, Visit Alexandria presented its inaugural Tourism Champion Award to Charlotte Hall, a founding leader of the organization. Hall was selected by Visit Alexandria’s Board of Governors out of seventeen nominations in recognition of her longstanding dedication to Alexandria’s tourism and hospitality industry. The new award honors individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to enhancing the visitor experience, elevating Alexandria’s reputation as a destination, and strengthening the local tourism economy. Hall’s leadership, advocacy and commitment to the industry have been instrumental in shaping Alexandria’s success as a visitor destination.

“It is fitting that in our 30th year, Visit Alexandria posted strong results. On behalf of the board, I want to thank our staff, our partners across the hospitality community, and the city for their collaboration,” said Kate Ellis, Chair of the Visit Alexandria Board of Governors. “Tourism does not happen by accident. It starts with an excellent product, built through years of partnership, and grows with strong strategy. This board is proud of the role Visit Alexandria plays in driving economic vitality for every neighborhood in Alexandria.”

At the event, guests also enjoyed a “Taste of Alexandria,” featuring small bites from local restaurants, including Bastille and Maison Breizh, Fabled Ice Cream, Ted’s Montana Grill, The Majestic by Chef Santiago Lopez, The Spice & Tea Exchange and The Wharf Fine Seafood.

The Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Report and meeting slides are available on Visit Alexandria’s website.

Find high resolution images here.