Following a record 27.2 million visitors in 2025 but slower pace of growth, major events and sustained marketing and sales efforts are key to staying competitive
WASHINGTON, DC – With a growing calendar of world-class events on the horizon and new and renovated venues set to debut, sports will be a key focus for Washington, DC’s tourism and hospitality industry this fall and beyond. Destination DC (DDC), the city’s official destination marketing organization, leverages these opportunities to drive visitation and create immediate economic impact that benefits all Washingtonians.
Visitation fuels DC’s economy. In 2025, the nation’s capital welcomed a record 27.2 million visitors, who generated a record $11.9 billion in visitor spending and $2.4 billion in tax revenue – about $100 million more than the previous year. That spending supported a record 114,013 jobs.1 Although visitors contributed more to DC’s economy, the pace of growth for visitation slowed, with just 20,000 more visitors year over year. International visitation also declined by 4 percent in 2025 – a key figure because international visitors spend four times as much per trip than their domestic counterparts.
DDC works with Events DC and stakeholders to attract visitors and create overnight hotel demand for events. DC will host the NFL Draft April 29-May 1, 2027, when the league expects one million attendees over the course of the three-day event. On Oct. 10, 2026, the city hosts a friendly between the U.S. women’s national soccer team and Spain, as well as the newly announced Savannah Bananas’ first Banana Bowl. An established hub for women’s sports, the National Women’s Soccer League championship takes place Nov. 21 at Audi Field and a new Major League Volleyball team, the DC Flight, begins play in January 2027. Capital One Arena hosts the Men’s Frozen Four in April and will unveil its top-to-bottom transformation next fall. Come 2030, the Washington Commanders will return to the historic RFK campus in a new indoor stadium designed to be surrounded by homes, parks, hotels, restaurants and more, opening the door for future sports, concerts and special events in DC.
“The tourism and hospitality industry is a powerful economic generator for Washington, DC, and in the short and long-term, we expect sports to be a key driver. Conventions and meetings of all sizes, major anniversaries and key openings add to the list of major opportunities in front of us,” said Elliott L. Ferguson II, president and CEO, DDC. “Now we must ensure we can take advantage by steadily investing in marketing our destination. When we do, visitation follows, we put people to work and the entire city, its businesses and residents benefit.”
“We’ve been proud to welcome visitors to DC for our semiquincentennial summer. Now, we’re excited about the lineup of events that will help us continue to attract visitors and showcase our city, and especially all the opportunities to showcase DC as the Sports Capital,” said DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. “Here is what we know: Washington, DC is a world-class city, and world-class cities host world-class sporting events. Whether it's the IndyCar race, the NWSL championship, or the NFL Draft, these events are not just fun and games – they draw tens of thousands of people to our city. Those visitors stay in our hotels, go to our restaurants, and they visit our neighborhoods. For DC, that means more good-paying jobs for our residents and more opportunity for our workers and businesses."
DDC’s overall sales and marketing strategies remain agile to meet consumer sentiment. As part of its award-winning marketing campaign, There’s Only One DC, a cross-platform initiative called We the People DC aims to humanize the city through authentic stories of DC residents. The profiles spotlight locals that reflect the city’s rich culture, creativity and community. For example, DDC’s in-house team recently featured Chef Anthony Jones of Marcus DC, a “Top Chef” standout and James Beard semifinalist, by creating social media, video and digital content, including an inspirational itinerary. Additional profiles include a gallerist in Petworth and a small business owner in Northeast and Southeast DC. Potential visitors can also find a variety of seasonal content on washington.org, including lists of fall shows, exhibits and events. Editorial coverage complements paid and owned channels.
From April 2023-October 2025, the organization received an additional one percent of the hotel tax through the tourism recovery district (TRD). In fiscal year 2026, DDC’s overall marketing budget was cut by two-thirds because its hotel tax allocation went from 1.97 percent to .97 percent. DDC expects its hotel tax allocation to be partially restored in fiscal year 2028.
An independent ROI study by the DC Office of the CFO and Future Partners, a leading tourism research company, proves the effectiveness of advertising. In 2025, for every $1 spent on DDC’s spring and summer domestic marketing campaign, $2.12 came back to DC in tax revenue and $24 came back to DC in visitor spending. These results underscore the importance of investing in destination marketing to remain competitive and give travelers compelling reasons to choose DC.
DDC’s role also includes securing conventions and meetings of all sizes that generate significant economic impact across the city. DDC recently introduced Meetings Capitalized, new positioning that builds on the Only One DC brand by focusing on experiences attendees can only have here. Citywide conventions, classified by generating 2,500 room nights or more on their peak night, have generated an estimated economic impact of $317 million and 390,000 total room nights in 2026. The outlook is strong. In 2027, the economic impact of citywide conventions booked by DDC is approximately $371 million and 459,000 total hotel room nights.
As the city rounds out its center stage role for America’s 250th anniversary, DC JazzFest takes place this weekend at venues all over the District, including The Wharf. Theatre Week (Sept. 24-Oct. 11) will offer discounted tickets to more than 30 productions and expands beyond traditional venues this year, with pop-up performances at DCA and IAD airports, the Eastern Market Metro station and a free concert at The Wharf. The National Museum of African American History and Culture marks its 10th anniversary with a packed weekend of events on-site and at The Wharf (Sept. 24-27), an opportunity to discover Black history, heritage and culture across DC. Key anniversaries in 2027 include the 100th National Cherry Blossom Festival and 60th Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Marriott International celebrates a century since its founding as a nine-seat root beer stand on 14th Street NW; Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens and the Washington Ballet mark 50 years; Keegan Theatre marks its 30th anniversary; and the International Spy Museum marks its 25th.
Investment continues in DC. The Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial will be dedicated on Oct. 24, the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden will reopen on Oct. 31 and the National Air and Space Museum will complete its eight-year renovation on Nov. 11. Dulles International Airport debuts a new 14-gate concourse this fall. The renovated National Geographic Museum of Exploration features an immersive view of wildlife and visitors can now explore what’s under the Lincoln Memorial, where images of historic events are projected onto the foundation.
The Watergate Hotel and Westin City Center unveil renovations this fall. The former Salamander DC joined the Marriott portfolio as The Potomac Hotel, Autograph Collection, and the former Hotel AKA Washington Circle joined the Hilton portfolio as the One Washington Circle Tapestry Collection. Newly opened properties include the Hoya Hotel at Georgetown, CitizenM Georgetown and Tempo by Hilton Downtown, while the WaterWalk by Wyndham Capitol Hill/Navy Yard will open later this year.
The strategies and data were unveiled during DDC’s annual Marketing Outlook Meeting at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, with hundreds of members from the tourism and hospitality industry attending. Proceeds benefit DDC’s 501c-3 nonprofit affiliate, NEXTDC, which enriches the lives of students through inspirational travel experiences and work-based learning, cultivating the next generation of hospitality industry professionals and leaders.
1Sources: MMGY Travel Intelligence, S&P Global Market Intelligence, Tourism Economics, U.S. Department of Commerce
About Destination DC:
Destination DC, the official destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. washington.org.
September 2, 2026