Visitors to D.C. spent over $5 billion in 2005

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.