On this page, we've provided you with some basic facts and figures about the DC hospitality industry. For additional data, research and statistics, please contact Andy Whittaker, Director of Marketing Services, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (202) 789-7058.

The following documents provide additional and historical information about the Washington, DC hospitality industry. Please note that our statistics are released annually; 2009 data will be published in summer 2010.

• 2008 Visitor Statistics (1.59 MB)
  
• 2007 Visitor Statistics (2.28 MB)
• 2006 Visitor Statistics (605 KB)
• 2005 Visitor Statistics (266 KB)

Travel & Tourism in DC: General Facts and Figures (2008)

• DC welcomed 16.6 million visitors (a 2% increase from 2007), including 15.2 million domestic visitors and 1.4 million international visitors.
• DC was the 8th-most visited U.S. destination for international travelers in 2008.
• 54% of 2007 -domestic visitors traveled to DC for leisure.
• For overnight visitors, the average length of stay is 3.0 nights.
• Fourteen states supply 80% of all visitors to the District: Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Texas and California.
• The top metropolitan areas of origin for all 2008 domestic visitors include: Washington, DC, New York City, Richmond, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Raleigh-Durham, Harriburg (PA), Atlanta and Norfolk (VA).
• Approximately 1.4 million international visitors come to DC annually. Top countries of origin include: United Kingdom, Germany, Latin America (Brazil, Mexico), Japan, India, South Korea, Nordic (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden), Australia, Italy, France China, Benelux (Netherlands, Belgium) and India.
• DC's hospitality industry generated an estimated $5.64 billion in visitor spending on hotels, dining, shopping, transportation and entertainment in 2008, a 1% increase over 2007.
• Although international visitors represented only 8% of total visitation in 2006, this market accounted for 24% of all spending.
• Travel & tourism supports more than 71,000 full-time jobs in DC, generating $2.7 billion in wages.

The following chart describes DC's visitor profile:

(Source: DK Shifflet)

Hotel Statistics (Source: Lodging Econometrics & Smith Travel, 2008)

• There are 116 hotels and 27,800 hotel rooms in DC proper. There are approximately 620 hotels and 101,200 hotel rooms in the metro area.

Additional DC Research Resources
Additional research resources can be found at the following pages:

• Smithsonian Institution: for visitor statistics at the member museums of the Smithsonian Institution.
• Greater Washington Initiative: for demographic information about DC and statistics about its major industries.
• Washington, DC Economic Partnership: for additional DC democratic and economic development facts & figures.
• Travel Industry Association: for research and statistics regarding the US travel industry