Member News

Dear Members,

May is a banner month for the travel industry and, as planned, Destination DC’s (DDC) annual Travel Rally coincided with National Travel and Tourism Week. This year, we gathered in the Lincoln Theatre on May 6 (and many of us gathered afterward at the peerless, newly re-opened Ben’s Chili Bowl) to celebrate travel’s essential and profound impact on the District. The 2025 records speak volumes:

• Total visitors | 27.2M | record ↑ 0.1%

• Visitor spending | $11.9B | record ↑ 4%

• DC tax revenue | $2.4B | record ↑ 4%

• Local jobs supported | 114,000 | record ↑ 2%

DDC also hosted a successful Speed Networking event for members on April 29 at Nationals Park. Thank you to the 240 members that joined us at both of these wonderful markers of spring in DC.

Of course, spring is in bloom all over the city. As we turn our attention to the centerpiece celebrations of DC250, washington.org has all the essential information. Passport DC continues through May, with Fiesta Asia this Saturday. Memorial Day takes place on May 25, and this year, it's one of many poignant ways to honor America’s 250th birthday.