The District welcomed 400,000 more visitors in 2005 than 2004, according to statistics released Tuesday, while total guest spending surpassed $5 billion for the first time — thanks in part to skyrocketing hotel room rates.
There were 15.4 million visitors in 2005, of whom 14.1 million were domestic and 1.3 million hailed from outside the United States, according to the survey produced by D.K. Shifflet& Associates and the Travel Industry Association for the Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corp.
Visitors to the District were older, more affluent and better educated than the average U.S. tourist.
“The year 2005 was a watershed year for the District,” said William Hanbury, president and chief executive officer of the corporation.
Hotel occupancy rates climbed to 75 percent in 2005, a marked increase from the 69 percent seen for three consecutive years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The average nightly cost of a room is soaring, however, from $161 in 2004 to $180 in 2005 and $193 so far in 2006, the survey found.
Emily Durso, president of the Hotel Association of Washington, D.C., said room costs are increasing due to competition and rising demand.
The District might lose families to the suburbs, Durso said, but the business travelers are staying in the city.
“We were able to prove to people finally that we’ve gone after the higher end of the market, and they spend,” Durso said. “They’re the best deal for the city of Washington.”
The average visiting “party” spent $839 in 2005, though the number nearly doubled for those groups staying in hotels.
Visitor spending surpassed $5 billion, up 4.6 percent over 2004, while the travel and tourism industries directly supported the equivalent of 59,395 full-time jobs.
D.C. visitors
» 79 percent of visitors are 35 and older
» 60 percent earned $75,000 or more
» 66 percent are college graduates
