The students from Paradise, Calif., had an ambitious itinerary for their four-day whirlwind tour of the nation’s capital. They were going to see Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, Union Station, the Holocaust Museum, Arlington National Cemetery and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. And that was just on Monday.
That move-’em-through mentality is the norm for the thousands of students who visit Washington. Tourism is one of the city’s top money-makers, and student travel — especially during the traditional March and April spring breaks — plays a part in boosting industry profits.
The actual number of students visiting the District each year is hard to determine, but the Student Youth Travel Association reports that its members provide travel services to roughly 1.5 million U.S. students each year, and Washington was the most popular destination in 2005.
“It’s an education mecca,” said Elaine Dykla, director of marketing for the travel association.
“There are so many great things … for teachers to tie back to their lesson plans.”
There are about 60 tour companies that offer trips to D.C., which translates into thousands of students, teachersand chaperones pumping money into the city’s hotels, restaurants, attractions and gift shops every spring.
“That’s a big part of coming here,” said Roland Resendez. The 30-year teaching veteran has been bringing student groups to D.C. for 13 years. “They all want to do the typical tourist shopping.”
The 124 eighth-graders traveling with Resendez booked their trip through WorldStrides, which worked with 830 school groups last year — more than 21,000 students during spring break alone.
A five-day WorldStrides tour of Washington includes airfare, meals, hotel and transportation for about $1,500 per person. Those are welcome dollars in a city that saw travel plummet after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Student travel bookings have only recently fully rebounded, said Greg Shipley, CEO of Academic Travel Services. His company, like many others, saw the number of trips drop by about 60 percent in the months following Sept. 11. With bookings back to pre-Sept.11 levels, the only issue now is the crowds, said Resendez.
“Traveling, in a way, was easier” right after Sept. 11, he said. “It’s a lot more competitive now to find hotel rooms and make appointments.”
Here they come
» Spring breaks vary by school and state, but the most popular weeks this year are the last two weeks in April. Expect to see student groups in town from April 14 to 28.
