Arlington’s Mobile Visitors Center

Travel and tourism play vital roles in Arlington's economy, and the County is number one in visitor spending in the Commonwealth. According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Economic Impact of Domestic Travel on Virginia Counties 2010 study, Arlington generated nearly $2.5 billion in travel expenditures, supported nearly $790 million in payroll through more than 23,000 jobs and brought in $72 million in local tax receipts.

Visitor expenditures – representing NEW dollars flowing into Arlington businesses from travelers living 50-plus miles away – are spread across industry sectors including lodging, food service, entertainment/recreation, general retail trade and transportation. The most important byproduct of these expenditures is the jobs they support in the County, running the gamut from executive through managerial, service and entry-level positions.

Core to Arlington’s hospitality industry are its 43 hotels, totaling nearly 11,000 lodging rooms and over 300,000 square feet of hotel meeting space. Add in more than 20 meeting and event facilities, hundreds of restaurants and stores, arts organizations and transportation providers, and it’s easy to see how travel and tourism contribute to a healthy business community.

They also benefit residents via the County’s general fund. For example, in fiscal year 2011, the 5 percent transient occupancy tax that’s paid by Arlington hotel guests generated nearly $22 million for the County – 53 percent more than it did a decade ago. Sales and meals taxes on guests’ spending bring in additional revenue, making visitor services a high priority. Award-winning initiatives like Arlington’s Mobile Visitors Center, Rolling Concierges on Segways™, the Arlington Concierge College and complimentary on-site convention services are helping drive increased spending at local businesses. In fact, from 2009 to 2010 overall visitor spending was up 7.2 percent, even as hotel occupancy was up 2.8 percent, and average rates were down 0.3 percent.

What makes travelers choose to stay in Arlington? Clearly, Arlington’s strongest asset as a destination is its proximity to the nation’s capital. In a 2011 Arlington Economic Development visitor study, 72 percent of respondents cited proximity to Washington, D.C. as being “definitely influential” in their decisions to stay in Arlington. But proximity isn’t the only reason meeting planners and travelers choose to stay here. In addition to lodging rates that are generally 15 to 20 percent less than at downtown D.C. properties (offering the same convenience to businesses and tourist attractions) Arlington appeals to respondents as "a safe destination" with "upscale accommodations" and a "good value for the money."

Not surprisingly, competition among jurisdictions for overnight visitors is fierce, and never more so than in the current economic downturn. Arlington competes with the District and other localities for mindshare of meeting planners, business travelers and vacationers. Toward this end, Arlington tourism advertising and promotions are reaching over 16 million travelers and meeting planners in FY 2012. Extensive, targeted online and print initiatives ensure that Arlington is “on the map” alongside competitors for people considering travel to the Washington, D.C., area. This high-level destination marketing – in conjunction with marketing by hotel companies, individual hospitality businesses and Arlington’s Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) – ensures that travelers see Arlington as the best place to place to stay when visiting the nation’s capital.