It’s already been a tough year for D.C. tourism with a data firm projecting a 5.1% drop in international visitors this year.
There’s concern the surge of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops could drive away more visitors.
Meade Atkeson, a regional director of two Sonesta Hotels in D.C. and Destination D.C. board chair, said hotels are on the defensive over the past few weeks.
“It has put us in position where we need to counterbalance that rhetoric by making it a point to potential travelers to tell them that the crime situation is actually much better than it’s been previously, and we’re a very welcoming place and a very safe place, and hopefully we can turn that around,” Atkeson said.
Destination D.C., the city’s tourism marketing organization, is attempting to reassure wary travelers.
“The surge has given people reason to pause and ask questions as to whether or not we should consider coming to Washington,” said Destination D.C. President and CEO Elliott Ferguson. “But that number of people is not as large as you would anticipate.”
Ferguson said Destination D.C. workers have been throughout the city, surveying visitors over the past few weeks and asking if they had considered canceling their plans.
Most who had already shown up said they felt comfortable going to D.C.
“There are those that are saying, ‘We don’t feel comfortable because we’re hearing that there are tanks going down the street.’ So, the rhetoric and perception are not the reality, and that is what we’re trying to kind of rightsize,” Ferguson said.
The surge in federal law enforcement comes as D.C. holds its Summer Restaurant Week, a marketing event with specials and deals meant to drive diners to the city.
Organizers extended the event by an extra week, through Aug. 31, citing that some areas were especially slow compared to last year. It’s unclear why exactly reservations dropped.
CNN obtained data that showed foot traffic is down 81% in D.C.’s retail stores from last year.
Projected 5% drop in international visitors
The surge could cause complications for an already hard-hit subset of tourism: international travelers.
At Destination D.C.’s marketing outlook meeting Tuesday, the data firm Tourism Economics revealed the city’s updated forecast of a 5.1% drop in international visitors in 2025. Still slightly better than the around 8% decline across the U.S. as a whole.
“Their biggest concern is, ‘Will we be welcomed in the United States? Will the process of going through customs be cumbersome?’ Because that’s what they’ve heard,” Ferguson said. “It’s not remotely the reality.”
Typically, international travelers far outspend domestic visitors to the capital.
Destination D.C. over the last few weeks launched a new social media campaign in the wake of the federal crime emergency called the “Love Letter to DC.”
Ferguson said it was an opportunity to focus on how Washingtonians feel about the city.
“It really showcases Washington through a different lens, which is the real lens, not what the federal government is saying about Washington as a destination,” Ferguson said.
They will also be launching a new marketing campaign titled “We the People DC,” which leans into the more personal side of the city featuring 20 D.C. residents.
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