Nearly half of the visitors to Alexandria live within a half a day's drive of the city, led by residents of New York (14%) and Washington, D.C. (14%). Philadelphia (6%); Roanoke-Lynchburg, Va. (6%); Norfolk, Va. (4%); and Chicago (4%) residents round out the top half.
With an average age of 44, Alexandria visitors are slightly younger than the average U.S. traveler and older than visitors to Washington, D.C.
The median household income is $76,900. A quarter of visitors make more than $100,000 and 40% with a household income of less than $50,000.
44% of Alexandria visitors are college educated.
The average party size is 2.4 people, with one-third of parties including children under 18.
Alexandria visitors expect something more. Nearly half say they will pay more to visit places that offer something special. More than half of visitors say the ethics of travel companies has a big influence on which operator is used. Among Alexandria visitors, 61% buy environmentally friendly products and services whenever possible.
Visiting Alexandria
Three-quarters of Alexandria visitors come for leisure.
Fine dining (29%), visiting the museums (27%) and historic sites (26%) as well as shopping (25%) are the top activities named by visitors to the city. Art galleries (14%) and visiting old homes and mansions (12%) are also popular.
76% of visitors to Alexandria stay overnight. The average length of that stay is four nights. Two-thirds of visitors planned their trip over a month in advance. 25% planned more than six months in advance.
Impact of Tourism
3.3 million people visit Alexandria annually, according to TNS Travels America.
The Virginia Tourism Corporation reports that visitor spending in Alexandria is $584 million, accounting for $101 million in payroll for 5,600 jobs. Annually, tourism brings in about $19.5 million in taxes to the city.
