Visit Alexandria names Barry Draper to lead membership and visitor experience

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Visit Alexandria has hired Barry Draper as vice president of membership and visitor experience, the organization announced Tuesday.

Draper will lead membership recruitment and engagement along with visitor experience programs. Visit Alexandria said the work is meant to connect local small businesses to a tourism economy that now exceeds $1 billion a year.

He comes from Explore St. Louis, where he was director of partnership services and managed more than 950 partner organizations. Visit Alexandria said he led "record-setting programming and revenue growth" there, launched a Civic Pride Explorer Series and helped guide industry workforce protocols during the pandemic. He also served as executive director of the St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation.