Tourism & Travel Statistics
Tourism is a proven economic development strategy for Fairfax County, bringing in over $3.42 billion annually. Visit Fairfax is a non-profit Destination Marketing Organization working to bring visitors to our great community. Our mission is to enhance economic and social growth in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia through travel and tourism. Based on principles of partnership, cooperation, and mutually beneficial alliances, our program of work is managed by objectives and is accountable for tangible, measurable results ensuring a significant return-on-investment.
Take a moment to look at this chart to understand how travel dollars support America: The Power of Travel.
Billions in Economic Impact
Total tourism spending in Fairfax County for 2019 reached over $3.42 billion.
Within the entire Commonwealth of Virginia, Fairfax County is the #2 contributor of expenditures to Virginia's tourism industry.
Thousands of Jobs
Visitors to Fairfax County directly supported more than 31,700 local jobs. While the majority of these jobs were in the leisure and hospitality industries - accommodations, food service, arts, entertainment, and recreation - tourism impacts a multitude of businesses and crosses numerous industries. These local tourism jobs have combined earnings of $759 million.
Tourism in Virginia
Tourism has a huge economic impact in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2019, millions of visitors traveled to and around Virginia, bringing in more than $26.7 billion. 236,000 jobs were supported directly by travel spending, with earnings of more than $6.4 billion in payroll and salaries.
National Overview
Nationwide, the U.S. travel industry directly employs 15.8 million people, generates a payroll of $277.4 billion and tax revenues of about $179.7 billion. Direct travel expenditures within the United States totaled $1,127 billion - or $1.1 trillion - in 2019.
*The numbers and statistics used here can be found at US Travel Association, http://www.ustravel.org and Virginia Tourism Industry, http://www.vatc.org. Data from 2019.