While more and more tourists are coming to the District as the city recovers from the pandemic, tourists from abroad are noticeably absent. The city is now trying to lure back international travelers with a new slogan and ad campaign that will directly target consumers.
“There’s only one D.C.,” said Elliott Ferguson with Destination DC, announcing the slogan at the Warner Theatre on Tuesday.
The campaign aimed at international and domestic travelers will play on the unique offerings of the city, specifically the free museums and monuments, Michelin and James Beard award-winning fine dining, sports teams and culture.
“It is true — there is only one place in the world like Washington, D.C. Only one place where you can visit the White House during the day and then go to Ben’s Chili Bowl at night,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser during the presentation from Destination DC. “Only one place where you can go to Cedar Hill and then to Sycamore and Oak in one trip. And only one place where you can take in the history of our nation, while celebrating and enjoying the culture of the 700,000 Washingtonians who call D.C. home.”
Tourism means big bucks for the city. In 2022, the organization estimated $8.1 billion were spent by tourists, up 51% from 2021, supporting around 84,000 jobs.
Domestic tourism has largely bounced back from the pandemic, rebounding about 91% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019. However, visitors from overseas have been slower to come back to the nation’s capital. International visitation has rebounded only 60%.
“We know that the international market is only 7% of the visitation to Washington, but 27% of the spend. So we want all domestic visitors coming to the city, eating in our restaurants, staying in our hotels, using your services. But the international visitor has a larger economic footprint,” said Ferguson.
The “There’s only one D.C.” campaign will launch Nov. 1 in cities along the East Coast, such as Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas and Miami. They will also hit West Coast markets in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
The campaign launch video features a familiar face for many in the D.C. area, business mogul Virginia Ali, of Ben’s Chili Bowl. It was also partially filmed at the restaurant that just celebrated its 65th anniversary.
Top international markets the campaign will hit are the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, India, France, Brazil, Mexico, China, South Korea and Australia.
“This fall, consumers in London, will see our new ‘only one Washington, D.C.’ advertising in the black cabs,” said Theresa Belpulsi, senior vice president of tourism, sports and visitor services at Destination DC. A picture of an iconic black cab wrapped in cherry blossom decals was Belpulsi’s backdrop.
The group will also use social media influencers to try and bring travelers to the District. They will use paid influencer marketing —— which, according to Future Partners, influences more than 50% of travelers to visit a destination after seeing it on social media.
“We now have a dedicated specialist in-house to develop our paid influencer strategy to showcase D.C. as one of the most welcoming cities in the world,” said chief marketing officer Robin McClain.
