City leaders expressed concern that the recent crime spree, including the slaying of a London man that grabbed international headlines last weekend, could hurt the city’s tourism industry.
“If crime is increasing, it hurts tourism,” Mayor Anthony Williams said.
D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey declared a “crime emergency” Tuesday after the nation’s capital suffered 14 murders in 11 days, including the throat-slashing of a British man and the shooting death of a political activist.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, London tabloid headlines blared, “Campaigner knifed to death in U.S.” and “Four in court over brutal murder of British activist in Washington.” Spanish television reporters Wednesday questioned Ramsey about the recent murders.
Victoria Isley, of the Washington, D.C. Convention & Tourism Corporation, said it was too early to tell if crime has had any affect on tourism, the largest private industry in the District. She said 2006 has been a healthy year so far. The only calls the convention center has received about crime are from journalists, she said.
