WASHINGTON — When it comes to the number of travelers visiting the nation’s capital, 2014 turned out to be another record year, and there was a particularly dramatic increase in international tourists, according to new figures released Monday.
The tourism group Destination DC says there were 1.9 million international visitors in the District last year. That is an increase of 16 percent when compared to 2013.
“That percentage increase is unprecedented,” said the group’s president and CEO Elliott Ferguson. “We’re moving in the right direction, and it’s positive for us as a destination.”
International visitors are a small portion of total visitation but represent 27 percent of visitor spending with an average of $518 per stay.
The country with the most D.C. visitors was China, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Australia.
“They’re looking for a unique destination where they can come and shop, go to museums and do a lot of the things that you can do in Washington that are free,” Ferguson said.
Also, Ferguson gives credit to the way D.C. markets itself and to an increasing number of direct flights into D.C.
For the fifth year, Washington saw an increase in domestic visitors. In 2014, there were 18.3 million domestic tourists who visited the nation’s capital, an increase of 5.7 percent over 2013.
Visitor spending increased by $100 million for a total of $6.8 billion in 2014 compared to 2013.
With the international figures included, the overall number of D.C. visitors in 2014 stands at 20.2 million, an record.
The countries with the largest numbers of D.C. visitors (in order)
- China
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India
- South Korea
- Brazil
- Japan
- Italy
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
