Destination DC, the tourism marketing arm of the District, released its final report on tourism visits and spending in 2021, and, while the numbers are a big improvement over 2020, D.C. tourism still has a way to go to return to pre-pandemic levels.
A total of 19.1 million visitors traveled to D.C. last year, almost 78% of pre-pandemic levels, but 18.8 million of them were domestic travelers.
Fewer than 270,000 visitors were international travelers, compared to 1.8 million in 2019. It was still a 21% improvement in foreign visitors compared to 2020, as borders reopened and COVID-19 testing requirements were dropped.
All counted, tourists, both domestic and international, spent $5.4 billion, up 45% from 2020, but still down from the $8.2 billion in 2019 tourist spending.
Since U.S. borders reopened to foreign travelers, Destination DC has ramped up its efforts to increase overseas visitation, particularly in European markets.
“D.C.’s tourism economy is moving forward, so now our role as a short-term economic development organization is to be aggressive with high-impact advertising, attract more conventions and meetings and win back overseas travelers because of their higher spending potential,” said Elliot Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC.
International visitors are important for D.C. They accounted for 7% of all visitors, but 27% of total tourism spending.
“We love all visitors coming to Washington, but selfishly, the international market stays longer and spends more. That spend is extremely important to us. We rely heavily, as does the city and so do many of our stakeholders on that revenue and tax base that they create,” Ferguson said.
Business travelers also tend to spend more and stay longer.
For 2020, there are 19 citywide conventions on the books, or meetings that bring 2,500 hotel room nights, with a total of 394,000 room nights and an estimated economic impact of $265 million. Destination DC expects similar numbers for 2023 and 2024.
Destination DC announced the final 2021 tourism numbers at its annual Marketing Outlook Meeting Aug. 31 at the newly-rebranded Waldorf Astoria Hotel in D.C.
In the years ahead, tourists will have more choices for where to stay.
As of 2022, there are more than 26 new hotels or hotel renovations in the pipeline which will add almost 6,000 new or renovated rooms. Those rooms are not just downtown.
“It’s in the neighborhoods in our city. That’s important to us because we are promoting all things tied to the city, including how cool D.C. neighborhoods are. So the fact that Union Market, The Wharf and other parts of the city are getting inventory is a big deal,” Ferguson said.
