In the wake of the federal shutdown in 2014, tourism screeched to a halt in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas. But in the 2015 fiscal year, various localities, including Prince William County and Manassas, experienced substantial growth in tourism traffic and revenue.
Nicole Warner, marketing and communications specialist for Discover Prince William & Manassas, said the federal shutdown took a big toll on Northern Virginia.
“It was a huge hit for hotels [in 2014]. Several companies and federal agencies were out of work and couldn’t pay for traveling expenses. Due to the proximity of the counties to D.C., it was a huge, huge hit,” Warner said.
According to the 2015 annual report by Discover Prince William & Manassas, hotel occupancy tax revenues jumped by almost 7 percent – to more than $3.3 million. Overall, tourism pumped $593 million into the economy of Prince William County and Manassas – a 3.8 percent increase from 2013.
The increase in tourism traffic in the two localities produced more than 6,500 jobs and almost $35 million in state and local taxes.
Jennifer Becker, the general manager of the Manassas Hampton Inn, said she noticed a shift in the type of tourist traffic.
“The leisure market has picked up in the last few years – typically it’s business people,” Becker said.
The reason for the surge in leisure tourism stems from the addition of new shopping centers, museums and historic sites in the region. It is home to such popular destinations as the Fredericksburg Manassas National Battlefield Parks, the National Museum of the Marine Corps and the Potomac Mills shopping center.
