India second-largest overseas market for Washington DC, leads in visitor spending

Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organisation for the U.S. capital, announced that Washington, DC welcomed nearly 26 million visitors in 2023, setting a new record. With a total of 25.95 million visitors, the city saw a 17 per cent increase from 2022, surpassing the pre-pandemic record set in 2019. This surge in tourism resulted in a record $10.2 billion in visitor spending and supported 102,366 local jobs.

One of the standout statistics from the announcement was the significant influx of visitors from India. India emerged as Washington, DC’s second-largest overseas market, with 165,100 Indian travellers visiting the city in 2023, contributing $287.4 million in spending. “India continues to be an important market for Washington, DC tourism, coming in as our #2 overseas market for visitation in 2023,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, President and CEO of Destination DC. “More importantly, India was DC’s top overseas market for 2023 visitor spending. Research shows that the India market prioritises DC for its arts, culture, luxury amenities, and shopping, and we have plans to invest to further expand our market share in 2024 and beyond.”

Of the 25.95 million visitors, 24 million were domestic travellers, indicating that domestic visitation has fully rebounded to 105 per cent of 2019 figures. International visitation is also on the rise, with 1.95 million international visitors marking an 85 per cent return to pre-pandemic levels and a 40 per cent increase year-over-year. International travellers typically stay longer and spend twice as much as domestic visitors.

“This is a major milestone for Washington, DC. Put simply, we are seeing the results of our increased marketing and sales efforts thanks to the tourism recovery district legislation, and the city is benefitting from increased tourism,” added Ferguson. “There is still work to do, however, since international travel hasn’t fully recovered. The additional funding allows us to continue to entice international visitors who stay longer and spend more.”

The data underscores the importance of increased tourism to the city’s economy, with visitor spending up 29 per cent and local jobs created from tourism up 25 per cent year-over-year, respectively. DDC launched its award-winning creative campaign, “There’s Only One DC,” last November, positioning DC as wholly unique and spotlighting its diversity of experiences and free things to do. Additional funding through the tourism recovery district has enabled DDC to ensure the messaging reaches potential travellers. “There’s Only One DC” has the largest reach of any DDC campaign to date.

DC boasts a packed calendar of iconic festivals and events, as well as a star-studded sports schedule this year. 2025 will be a big year for DC as WorldPride 2025, a two-week festival that could bring millions to the nation’s capital in 2025. In addition, the 75th NATO Summit will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (July 9-11).

DDC’s news coincides with an announcement from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute: two giant pandas are returning by the end of the year. The Zoo will be one of only two in the U.S. to see the beloved animals, and the only one with free entry.