Washington DC Attracts 20 Million Tourists for the First Time

Recent reports revealed that 20 million U.S visitors traveled to Washington in 2016.  At Gray Line, our primary aim is to offer tourists visiting Washington DC a service that allows them to travel around the city and visit the main points of attraction with ease and convenience.

A tourism study has been published that says for the very first time, Washington DC attracted an incredible 20 million domestic tourists last year. This marks quite the milestone and really emphasizes just how much of a popular tourist destination our great city truly is! International visitor totals are due to be released in August, so is this trend set to continue?

The previous domestic record was recorded in 2015 with 19.3 million tourists visiting for that year. That means that there has been a domestic increase of 700,000 for 2016 and this can be attributed to a number of key developments within the city. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture opening up for the first time was a key factor for many, and if you haven’t already visited then we would highly recommend it. Check out our tours section of the website for more details on how we can get you there with ease!

The museum has already drawn in an incredible 1 million visitors since its opening in September and tourists have also been drawn to the city for other reasons such as the refurbishment of many of the city’s most famous hotels. Additionally, the city now boasts several Michelin-star restaurants with Michelin releasing their first travel guide for Washington in October last year with 11 restaurants in the city earning stars. Supporters of Donald Trump have also been drawn to the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue which is just five blocks from the White House.

Other classic tourist spots also continue to prove attractive for many domestic tourists including Mount Vernon and the tour of Old Town Alexandria. If you are planning a visit then Gray Line can help you visit the majority of the destinations that we have mentioned above. Additionally, tourists have flocked to see the beauty of the city at night and our DC after Dark tour is the perfect way to experience this! Tourism generally declined during the recession between 2007 and 2009 but has increased steadily over the few years. As such, there has never been a better time to visit and it will be interesting to see the figures for 2017 when they are eventually released.

The tourist figures are encouraging for the people of Washington as well and domestic visitors for the same period spent a record $7.3 billion and this contributed to the tourism industry within DC which currently supports over 74,000 jobs. Every visitor to the city plays a vital role in sustaining the local economy, so last year really was a stellar year for tourism and hopefully this number will again increase this year. If you require more information on the attractions of the city then get in touch for a chat today.