Destination DC announces record visitation, India as #2 inbound market

Welcomes 1.95 million international travellers in 2023, out of which are 165,100 Indian travellers, recording a spend of $287,400,000.

Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, announces that more people visited Washington, DC in 2023 than ever before. Washington, DC welcomed 25.95 million total visitors last year, up 17 percent from 2022 and surpassing the pre-pandemic record set in 2019. The new benchmark resulted in a record $10.2 billion in visitor spending and supported a record 102,366 local jobs.

Furthermore, India as an inbound market stands at #2 as confirmed by Destination DC. A total of 165,100 Indian travelled to Washington DC in 2023 and recorded a spend of $287,400,000. “India continues to be an important market for Washington, DC tourism, coming in as our #2 overseas market for visitation in 2023. More importantly, India was DC’s top overseas market for 2023 visitor spending. Research shows that the India market prioritizes 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.” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, President and CEO, Destination DC.

Of the record 25.95 million total visitors, 24 million are said to have travelled domestically. That means domestic visitation has fully rebounded to 105 percent of 2019 figures. International visitation is said to continue to trend towards pre-pandemic levels. The 1.95 million international visitors indicate an 85 percent return, but a 40 percent increase year-over-year.

Ferguson further added, “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. 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.”

Washington, DC Visitation Data:
– In 2023, DC welcomed a record 25.95 million visitors (24 million domestic; 1.95 million international). Out of the 1.95 million, 165,100 were Indians. Indian spend tallied up to $287,400,000 – top overseas market for 2023 visitor spending.
– In 2022, DC welcomed 22.1 million total visitors (20.7 domestic; 1.4 million international).
– Prior to the pandemic, in 2019, DC welcomed 25.1 million total visitors (22.8 million domestic; 2.3 million international).
– In summary, total visitation is up 17 percent year-over-year and up four percent compared to 2019.

Visitation Impact:
– Visitors spent a record $10.2 billion in 2023.Up 29 percent year-over-year and 111 percent of 2019.
– Visitors supported a record 102,366 jobs in 2023.Up 25 percent year-over-year and 134 percent of 2019.