D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and leaders of the District’s hospitality and tourism industry announced Wednesday a marketing campaign for recovery after the city having lost $78 million in taxes due to the public health emergency.
“So now the question is how do we get back on track once we are able to do so,” said Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination D.C, a nonprofit that supports tourism. “It’s going to take an aggressive marketing and promotion campaign to attract visitors back to Washington as a destination.”
After seeing a record 22.8 million domestic visitors in 2019, the District has witnessed a loss of $1.7 billion in travel spending — a 71% decline — due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The marketing campaign will focus on all of the free museums and memorials people can visit as a way to distinguish the District from other destinations and appeal to those who were impacted financially by the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of 22 conventions in the District will have an economic impact of $163 million.
Mr. Ferguson said he was not worried about virtual conferences hurting the large-scale event industry, and announced a huge booking for the District — Lions Club International Convention in 2027.
Although seven years away, this booking, with almost $15 million in economic impact, is a good sign for the rebound of the industry, Mr. Ferguson said.
• Sophie Kaplan can be reached at skaplan@washingtontimes.com.
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