Destination DC (DDC) ha annunciato oggi un record di 22.8 milioni di visitatori totali nella capitale della nazione nel 2017, in aumento del 3.6% rispetto al 2016. Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC, confirmed the banner year for DC’s tourism industry at the organization’s annual Marketing Outlook Meeting held at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium with city leaders, stakeholders and local tourism and hospitality businesses.
"Washington, DC welcomed 20.8 million domestic visitors last year, up 4.2%, and 2 million overseas visitors, up 2.5%,” said Ferguson. “We’ve seen eight years of consecutive growth. At the end of the day, what we do to attract visitors is economic development, resulting in $7.5 miliardi spent by travelers.”
n 2017, tourism directly supported 75,048 DC jobs, up 0.5% over 2016 and exceeding 75,000 for the first time since 2013. According to IHS Markit, domestic and international spending was up 3.1% and surpassed $7 billion for the third time. Business travel accounted for 41% of visitation and 60% of spending. Leisure spending increased by 5.9% and business spending was up 1.3%.
“Growing tourism is good for local business and good for Washingtonians,” said Mayor Muriel E. Bowser. “When visitors choose DC – when they dine out in our restaurants, stay in our hotels, and visit our local neighborhoods – we’re able to spread prosperity and build more pathways to the middle class for residents across all eight wards.”
DDC also announced plans to sustain the momentum of an uptick in visitation by previewing a new advertising campaign called “Discover the Real DC” under its five-year-old “DC Cool” brand. To create the campaign, DDC worked with Destination Analysts on custom research in its target domestic markets along the East Coast corridor as well as Chicago ed Los Angeles. Eight personas of the visitors likely to visit DC emerged from live interviews and surveys of thousands of consumers.
The personas include: the Eclectic Cultural Traveler, specifically interested in the arts; Viaggiatori in famiglia looking for family education and fun; the Cool Crowd, prioritizing trendy destinations with social media buzz;African-American History Buffs, attracted to destinations with a strong African-American historical significance; LGBTQ, travelers identifying as LGBTQ and for whom a LGBTQ-friendly urban destination is key; buongustai, who seek a notable restaurant scene and celebrity chefs; Political Junkies, attracted to destinations with political significance and want to experience where history is made; and Fanatici dello sport, intrigued by world-class sports when identifying potential destinations.
“The research allows us to be more nimble with our marketing and speak directly to the interests of consumers,” said Robin A. McClain, senior vice president, marketing and communications, DDC. “Washington, DC has the experiences visitors are looking for, whether it’s history, a diverse and welcoming atmosphere or a buzzy Michelin-rated dining scene.”
Looking at overseas visitation, Cina continues to be DC’s top market with 324,000 visitors, up 6.6% over 2016. In FY2019, DDC will continue to grow its presence on WeChat and its City Experience Mini Program, as well as its Welcome China member certification program.
The top 10 overseas markets for Washington, DC in 2017 are, in order of visitation: Cina, UK, Germania, Corea del Sud, Francia, Australia, India, Giappone, Spagna ed Italia. Though overseas visitors represent 9% of the total number of visitors to DC, international visitors [overseas visitors plus visitors from Canada ed Messico] represent 27% of the visitor spending.
"Anche se eravamo entusiasti di vedere una crescita delle visite all'estero, ci troviamo di fronte ad alcune realtà sul clima politico e su come gli Stati Uniti sono percepiti da una prospettiva globale", ha detto Ferguson. "Ecco perché stiamo facendo tutto il possibile per accogliere la comunità globale e aumentare la nostra rappresentanza a livello internazionale nei mercati consolidati ed emergenti".
In 2019, DC will welcome 21 citywide conventions and special events (2,500 room nights on peak and above), generating 359,557 total room nights and an estimated economic impact of $341 milioni. Major events include the American Academy of Dermatology (Marzo 1-5), NAFSA: Association of International Educators (Maggio 28-31), American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (Ottobre 21-25) and American Society of Nephrology (Novembre 8-11).
Washington, DC welcomes new flights and hotel inventory to encourage visitation in the year ahead. New nonstop air service into Dulles International Airport launches from London Stansted (agosto 22) e Bruxelles(2 Giugno 2019) on Primera Air, 香港 on Cathay Pacific (Settembre 15) etel Aviv on United (22 Maggio 2019). There are 21 hotels in the pipeline adding 4,764 rooms to the city, including Eaton Workshop and the MoxyWashington, DC Downtown, both anticipated to open this summer.
New attractions, renovations and exhibits are a draw. The National Law Enforcement Museum opens Ottobre 13. In 2019, citywide programming will surround the 100th anniversario di 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The International Spy Museum moves to L’Enfant Plaza and reopens next spring. The Washington Monument reopens next spring and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s “Fossil Hall” reopens in June. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ expansion (The REACH) opens Settembre 7, 2019.
Per ulteriori punti salienti dello sviluppo, visita Washington.org.
