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.