Skift Take
Destination DC has been putting the $20 million budget to work. How much it’s done for the city’s tourism recovery in terms of visitor numbers is too early to tell.
The next phase of Washington, D.C.’s global tourism promotion campaign, “There’s Only One DC,” will tie in upcoming major international events the city is set to host.
Washington, D.C.’s new Audi Field was recently selected by FIFA to be a host city for the 2025 Club World Cup, an international competition for club teams from around the world and a precursor to the 2026 tournament (for which Washington, D.C. will not be a host city).
In addition, WorldPride Day will be held in Washington, D.C. in 2025. The following year, America’s capital will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
For the past year, Destination DC has been promoting the city’s unique attractions and experiences beyond the National Mall as part of its multimillion-dollar “There’s Only One DC” marketing push.
The tagline will remain the same, but ads and other marketing materials will receive an update.
“The refresh will be associated with ‘How do we make sure that the global community knows that if they’re thinking about coming to us, come to Washington, D.C. and take advantage of all these other amazing things to see and do?’” said Elliott Ferguson, CEO and president of Destination DC.
Tourism Impact of “There’s Only One DC”
The marketing push has generated significant buzz and “positive momentum” for Washington, D.C. “The enthusiasm associated with the campaign has done exactly what we wanted it to do,” said Ferguson.
However, when it comes to increasing international tourism — a key objective for Ferguson — it’s still too early to determine the exact impact.
To accelerate its recovery, Destination DC received a budget boost last year thanks to a funding mechanism approved by the city council, which approved a measure to increase hotel taxes to 15.95% from April 2023 through March 2027.
Destination DC’s budget rose from $30 million to $50 million this fiscal year, enabling it to pay for its global marketing campaign and open offices in Japan, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.
Destination DC has begun conducting ROI studies to assess the impact of its budget increase, which will be important for the city council’s decision on renewing the funding for 2027 and beyond.
In 2023, the city received 1.95 million international visitors, up 40% from 2022 and about 85% of 2019 levels, according to Destination DC’s latest numbers.
Barriers to Recovery Remain
A missing piece in Washington, D.C.’s tourism recovery has been visitors from Asia, particularly China and India.
While the situation is much improved compared to last year, wait times for first-time visitor visa applicants remain “cumbersome” in countries like India. The U.S. has been losing travelers to countries not affected by long visa wait times or those that waive visa requirements, like the UK, said Ferguson.
The State Department has been dealing with unprecedented demand for visas. “We still have some wait times that are too high,” said Richard Verma, Deputy Secretary of State, at the Skift Global Forum in September.
Verma also noted that progress has been made by using tools like the visa interview waiver authority to expedite processing for low-risk applicants.
“It’s gotten incrementally better, but we want it back to where it was during the Obama administration because his administration invested a lot and ensured that the process went from a significant amount of time to get an interview to just a week,” said Ferguson.
Airspace restrictions over Pakistan and Russia have made it challenging for airlines to operate direct routes between China and India and the U.S. East Coast. Western airlines have reduced route service between China and North America and Europe.
Inauguration Is an Economic Tourism Boom Driver
Contrary to popular belief, Election Day is just another day for Washington, D.C. because candidates are typically on the road. The city starts buzzing once the President-Elect is chosen. “You’re literally trying to put together the equivalent of a massive citywide convention in 60 days,” said Ferguson.
On January 20, Inauguration Day, Washington, D.C. is expected to see a significant economic ripple effect from spending on events such as balls, food, beverages, and transportation.
