Shreya Shimpi
How many Indian tourists have visited Washington, DC last year?
Washington, DC has been fortunate that India as an international overseas market has become our fourth largest market with over 147,000 Indian travellers visiting Washington, DC in 2023.
Have you surpassed the pre-pandemic numbers?
We have seen an eleven per cent increase in 2023 figures compared to 2019. We are way ahead of where we were in 2019. There was a fifty four per cent increase from 2022 to 2023 as we are seeing a strong visitation from the India market since Covid and year after year.
Which segment of travellers do you receive the most?
The leisure market remains the strongest. Business travel is starting to pick up again. MICE movement has increased since larger congresses and exhibitions have made a comeback. Many Indian travellers are attending these large meetings.
Could you highlight the initiatives taken to promote MICE?
Washington remains an important destination for meetings. Many of these incentives are available as discounts in rentals and room rates over specific periods. Meetings scheduled during the US holidays are a great opportunity to take advantage of better rates in the US for room rental in particular. Most of these incentives are for meetings organised in the cities over holidays during non-peak business time.
Which are your top five source markets?
Traditionally, it has been China. It was the case before Covid as well. China is among the top ten markets. UK, Western Europe, Canada, and Mexico are our strong markets. Our fastest-growing markets are India, Australia and New Zealand. We are looking at the momentum associated with China. India continues to remain number four. One of the reasons we are investing more time, energy and marketing our destination in India is that we are seeing a substantial rise in demand.
Which are the best months for travel?
It usually depends on what the traveller is looking for. The best rates would be from December to February. The strongest season for travel to Washington starts from March to April. We have the Cherry Blossom Festival during that time which continues through spring. Summer months are usually better for discounted room rates because it is non-peak. Fall has always been a great season to visit. However, room rates are higher during that time. We encourage our visitors to check the festivals such as Cherry Blossom, Jazz, sporting events and concerts on our website that they could include it in their travel plans when they visit Washington, DC.
Which are the best attractions to visit?
There are seventeen Smithsonian museums in DC as well as the National Zoo which is a part of the Smithsonian institution. We also continue to focus on nightlife, theatre, sporting events, dining options since it is a Michelin star destination, shopping etc.
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