Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organisation for Washington, DC, has revealed that 19.1m visitors travelled to the city in 2021 – reaching 77.6% of 2019 levels.
Following this announcement, Elliott L. Ferguson, II (pictured), president and CEO of DDC, outlined the organisation’s new strategies across sales and marketing.
“DC’s tourism economy is moving forward, so now our role as a short-term economic development organisation is to be aggressive with high-impact advertising, attract more conventions and meetings and win back overseas travellers because of their higher spending potential,” said Ferguson.
The organisation gathered hundreds of members and stakeholders at its annual Marketing Outlook Meeting, held at the new Waldorf Astoria Washington DC.
The city will see several new developments that will encourage tourism, including:
- 26 new hotels and renovations – adding over 5,892 new or renovated rooms throughout DC.
- Major events, such as DC JazzFest over Labor Day Weekend (from 31 August – 4 September)
- The return of Theatre Week for the first time since the pandemic (22 September – 9 October).
- The return of the Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game (19 July 2023).
Additionally, DC is about to welcome the arrival and reopening of several major attractions. These include the National Gallery of Art’s East Building’s June reopening; the Kennedy Center’s September debut of an interactive exhibit dedicated to president John F. Kennedy; and the October reopening of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum with eight new galleries.
DC mayor, Muriel Bowser, said: “We are very happy to have visitors from across the nation and around the world back in DC.”
“We are going to keep spreading the word that DC is open, and we will keep giving people new ways to enjoy our city – from conferences and concerts to festivals and 5Ks, and all the other events that bring people together and uplift the values and culture of our community.”
Visitation Data
2021’s data revealed the following:
- 1m visitors travelled to DC, reaching 77.6% of 2019 levels.
- There were 18.8m domestic visitors (up 44% over 2020) and 269,736 overseas visitors (up 21% over 2020).
- Visitors spent $5.4b (up 45% over 2020) and supported 57,933 local jobs (up 41% over 2020).
In pre-pandemic 2019, data showed that:
- The city welcomed 24.6m total visitors (22.8m domestic; 1.8m overseas).
- These visitors generated $8.2b for the local economy and supported 79,675 jobs across all sectors.
In 2019, overseas visitors accounted for 7% of visitation and 27% of the spending; DDC has stated that growing this overseas market share through strategic sales and media missions could lead to a greater economic impact for Washington, DC.
Typically, top and emerging markets for the capital include China, the UK, France, Germany, India, and Australia.
Geoff Freeman, incoming president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said: “With a concerted effort to address today’s headwinds, including slow-to-return business travel and government-induced obstacles for international visitors, we’re confident that Washington, DC and the nation can achieve a full recovery.”
