For Immediate Release:
November 1, 2011

Delightful Days and Enchanting Nights: DC Shines throughout December
Destination DC Launches Holiday-Themed Web Resources and Live Online Concierge Service for Travelers

(Washington, DC)… Tug on Santa’s beard during brunch at the Kennedy Center; ice skate on the National Mall, shop dozens of museum boutiques at the Smithsonian Institution, attend a tree lighting ceremony with the President, and let the monuments that make Washington, DC a stirring spot for vacationers throughout the year take your breath away this holiday season. With cool weather conditions ranging from the low-30s to the high-40s, Washington, DC offers plenty of fun, family-friendly and free things to do indoors and outdoors during the holidays.  

To enable visitors from across the United States and around the world to make the most of their holiday experience in America’s hometown, Destination DC created an online holiday tool box: www.Washington.org/winter.

The official tourism and marketing office for the nation’s capital, Destination DC will also use social media to engage with travelers by offering a concierge-style holiday trip planning service this season. Log on to Washington, DC’s official Facebook page and join one of three real time Facebook discussions at 11 am EST on Tuesday, November 22; Tuesday, November 29 and Tuesday, December  6, 2011. Local experts will be ready to tailor memory-making holidays.

Visitors to www.Washington.org/winter are invited to:

• Compare hotel rooms and score discounts up to 35% on hotel rooms in the District

• Find scores of events, including 31 festive activities – one for every day in December!

• Prepare for delightful mornings, noontimes and evenings and print out two holiday itineraries

• Book a cozy city tour or consider 24 handpicked and only-in-DC indoor activities

• Get up-to-the-minute advice from local experts. Log on to Facebook for one of three real-time holiday trip concierge sessions.

• Celebrate the season of peace by getting face-to-face with civil rights heroes

• Toast the season in one of the city’s great restaurants including over 12 with fireplaces

“DC has long been home to one-of-a-kind holiday celebrations like the annual lighting of the White House Christmas tree,” said Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC. “And in 2011,” continued Ferguson, “with recent additions to the landscape and calendar like the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the Army-Navy Game, we hope families come to the nation’s capital to create new holiday traditions here too.”

Whether it’s snapping a family portrait in front of the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree or snapping up a bargain in a U Street boutique, DC is home for the holidays. Check for more upcoming events, exclusive hotel packages, special performances and values for wintertime visitors on Washington.org.