While the final turnout fell short of what organizers had hoped, WorldPride 2025 still delivered a major economic boost to the D.C. region, according to a newly released impact report.
It was an almost monthlong celebration that brought members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies from around the world to D.C. in May. While the final turnout fell short of what organizers had hoped, WorldPride 2025 still delivered a major economic boost to the region, according to a newly released impact report.
The event ran for 23 days, featuring more than 400 events across all eight wards of the city. In total, 1.2 million people attended, bringing a wave of spending to hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues.
Organizers had projected a $787 million economic impact. The final tally came in at $310.7 million, driven by lodging, dining, retail, entertainment and tax revenue. Metro ridership surged nearly 12% during the final weekend, with 1.27 million riders.
“The city became a living rainbow — alive with music, protest, dancing and joy. From our LGBTQ+ family to our friends and allies, we stood side by side, declaring that our movement is unstoppable,” Capital Pride Alliance Board President Ashley Smith said.
But the celebration wasn’t without challenges. Safety concerns and political uncertainty led some potential attendees to stay home and at least one confirmed sponsor to withdraw support.
Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos said the team knew the outcome of the 2024 presidential election would shape what the event would ultimately become.
“The relentless attacks left so many of us searching for hope amid the calls to cancel, to boycott, to turn away from the work we had begun. All of these factors led to a significant reduction in financial support, from corporate pullback to a reallocation of city funds. Despite a 50% reduction in funds, WorldPride DC not only successfully proceeded, but we managed to award $1.4 million in grants to the community,” Bos said in the report.
Despite falling short of projections, city officials and local businesses said the event still brought a meaningful boost to tourism and visibility for D.C.’s LGBTQ+ community.
WorldPride 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of Pride in D.C., and organizers said the event showcased the city’s vibrant neighborhoods, diverse communities and enduring commitment to equality.
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D.C.’s tourism marketing organization is making plans for an influx of visitors coming to the city next year to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
America’s 250th birthday is next year and D.C.’s tourism marketing organization is making plans for an influx of visitors coming to the city to celebrate the occasion.
“America’s 250th has the potential to be really good for Washington next year, simply because it’s yet another reason to visit the city and take advantage of things happening,” said Elliott Ferguson, Destination DC’s president and CEO.
Ferguson said the city will be planning for the yearlong celebration in 2026 alongside the federal government, but emphasized there will be D.C. specific components that they are planning with “75 partners.”
“The city of Washington, like … Philadelphia and Boston, we’re going to also do things that are specific to our community,” Ferguson said.
Even though D.C. had not been founded in 1776 at the birth to the country, Ferguson pointed to the obvious connection to the founding, even the housing of the Declaration of Independence in the National Archives.
The city will have programming that will discuss the country’s racial history, Ferguson said during Destination DC’s Marketing Outlook Meeting last week.
“We know that as the Declaration of Independence was written and saying that all men were created equal … we know that was not the case,” Ferguson said.
Destination DC will use the 250th anniversary as an opportunity to showcase and celebrate all of the things that happened in the District 250 years ago, and elements about the fight for equality through the centuries.
One of the programs that Destination DC its highlighting for the anniversary is “51 Steps to Freedom,” an outdoor museum telling stories through an augmented reality trail.
“It ties into the history of the Black community in Washington, D.C. across eight miles and 300 stories,” Ferguson said.
Stories will include an AI augmented reality of jazz singer Billie Holiday that stands in front of the Howard Theater and describes performing there. Visitors will also be able to see the smartphone-based augmented reality at the Frederick Douglass home in Anacostia.
The District is also expected to see numerous new attractions opening in 2026. The National Geographic Museum of Exploration is expected to open as well as a Lincoln Memorial Museum located underneath the feet of the 16th President.
While the semiquincentennial is expected to bring more visitors to the District, a forecast performed by Destination DC shows an expected 1.3% growth in visitors, the amount of money coming into the city through tourism is expected to decrease.
The RevPAR (revenue per available hotel room) is expected to take a nearly 2% hit next year, which could be explained by a downturn in international travelers to D.C. who typically spend far more money in the city than domestic visitors.
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It has been a tougher year for the tourism in D.C. and amid the surge of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops patrolling the streets, Destination D.C. is attempting to alleviate the concerns of travelers.
It’s already been a tough year for D.C. tourism with a data firm projecting a 5.1% drop in international visitors this year.
There’s concern the surge of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops could drive away more visitors.
Meade Atkeson, a regional director of two Sonesta Hotels in D.C. and Destination D.C. board chair, said hotels are on the defensive over the past few weeks.
“It has put us in position where we need to counterbalance that rhetoric by making it a point to potential travelers to tell them that the crime situation is actually much better than it’s been previously, and we’re a very welcoming place and a very safe place, and hopefully we can turn that around,” Atkeson said.
Destination D.C., the city’s tourism marketing organization, is attempting to reassure wary travelers.
“The surge has given people reason to pause and ask questions as to whether or not we should consider coming to Washington,” said Destination D.C. President and CEO Elliott Ferguson. “But that number of people is not as large as you would anticipate.”
Ferguson said Destination D.C. workers have been throughout the city, surveying visitors over the past few weeks and asking if they had considered canceling their plans.
Most who had already shown up said they felt comfortable going to D.C.
“There are those that are saying, ‘We don’t feel comfortable because we’re hearing that there are tanks going down the street.’ So, the rhetoric and perception are not the reality, and that is what we’re trying to kind of rightsize,” Ferguson said.
The surge in federal law enforcement comes as D.C. holds its Summer Restaurant Week, a marketing event with specials and deals meant to drive diners to the city.
CNN obtained data that showed foot traffic is down 81% in D.C.’s retail stores from last year.
Projected 5% drop in international visitors
The surge could cause complications for an already hard-hit subset of tourism: international travelers.
At Destination D.C.’s marketing outlook meeting Tuesday, the data firm Tourism Economics revealed the city’s updated forecast of a 5.1% drop in international visitors in 2025. Still slightly better than the around 8% decline across the U.S. as a whole.
“Their biggest concern is, ‘Will we be welcomed in the United States? Will the process of going through customs be cumbersome?’ Because that’s what they’ve heard,” Ferguson said. “It’s not remotely the reality.”
Typically, international travelers far outspend domestic visitors to the capital.
Destination D.C. over the last few weeks launched a new social media campaign in the wake of the federal crime emergency called the “Love Letter to DC.”
Ferguson said it was an opportunity to focus on how Washingtonians feel about the city.
“It really showcases Washington through a different lens, which is the real lens, not what the federal government is saying about Washington as a destination,” Ferguson said.
They will also be launching a new marketing campaign titled “We the People DC,” which leans into the more personal side of the city featuring 20 D.C. residents.
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D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival drew 1.6 million visitors, topping pre-pandemic numbers.
The Jefferson Memorial is visible as visitors to the Tidal Basin walk along an area as cherry trees enter peak bloom this week in Washington. Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsvais)(AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
The Jefferson Memorial is visible as visitors to the Tidal Basin walk along an area as cherry trees enter peak bloom this week in Washington. Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsvais)(AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival drew 1.6 million visitors, topping pre-pandemic numbers.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival drew 1.6 million visitors this year, topping the pre-pandemic 1.5 million visitors in 2019, and those visitors stayed longer and spent more, according to the numbers released jointly by the festival and the D.C. Mayor’s office.
Estimated visitor spending in D.C. (not counting surrounding areas) was $202 million, with the average length of stay at 3.9 days.
Of those who attended various festival events, 56% were visitors and 44% were D.C.-area residents. Among visitors, 17% were international tourists. Among those out-of-town cherry blossom visitors, 58% stayed in the District, and of those, 77% stayed in D.C. hotels.
This year’s Cherry Blossom Festival was held from March 20 to April 14.
Next year’s festival is scheduled to run from March 20 through April 13. It will be the 25th festival since it changed from an all-volunteer run event to one organized and staffed by the nonprofit National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc.
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D.C.’s popularity with out of town visitors is growing; tourism in the capital has surpassed the old record set in 2019 before the pandemic.
In 2023, D.C. saw more tourists than ever before, with nearly 26 million people finding a way to visit the city, officials announced Wednesday.
(WTOP/John Domen)
WTOP/John Domen
That’s up about 17% from 2022, and surpasses the old record set in 2019 before the pandemic.
(WTOP/John Domen)
WTOP/John Domen
They’re also spending more money than ever before too, with over $10 billion in spending last year at hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, and elsewhere.
(WTOP/John Domen)
WTOP/John Domen
These days, you can see buses parked all over the city, whether it’s on streets around the National Mall like Independence Avenue, or a little further away by the Tidal Basin. They’re just everywhere, and it’s a reflection of D.C.’s growing popularity with out-of-town visitors.
In fact, last year the city saw more tourists than ever before, with nearly 26 million people finding a way to visit the city, officials announced Wednesday. That’s up about 17% from 2022, and surpasses the old record set in 2019 before the pandemic.
“That’s a huge deal,” exclaimed D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, as she spoke Wednesday at Destination D.C.’s tourism announcement on the National Mall at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian.
They’re also spending more money than ever before, too, with over $10 billion in spending last year at hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and elsewhere.
“Ten plus billion dollars being spent by visitors equates to well over $600 million in taxes generated which means as Washingtonians, we see services being offered to the city that don’t impact my personal taxes as a Washingtonian,” said Elliott Ferguson II, the president and CEO of Destination D.C. “We all benefit from that.”
The city also said tourism helped support over 102,300 jobs last year.
Ferguson said it took about a decade for D.C.’s tourism industry to recover from Sept. 11. It wasn’t until 2011 that visitors surpassed the number that came in 2000.
“The fact that we’re now seeing numbers surpass 2019 this quickly after the pandemic is a big deal for us, because that means there is more interest in visitation, economically people are able to travel and we’re benefiting from those looking to get back on the road,” he said.
Focus on international visitors
The tourism boost is coming from domestic travelers, which helped the city surpass the 2019 numbers. International travel still hasn’t rebounded to pre-pandemic numbers, but it’s moving closer again. And that’s who the city really wants to target.
“We love all visitors but, selfishly, international visitors stay longer and spend more,” said Ferguson.
About 7% of the city’s tourists come from outside the U.S.
“That’s the area which we are wanting to grow fastest,” Ferguson said.
He said the city already has a marketing presence in London, as well as places like New Zealand, Australia, and even India, where he says demand to visit D.C. is growing.
But a big focus is on drawing more tourists from China, and part of that with efforts being made to increase the number of nonstop flights between the U.S. and China. He said these days, there aren’t as many of them as there used to be.
“We are really being bullish on working with the U.S. Travel Association and the Department of Commerce,” to make that happen, he added. “If you can’t physically get here nonstop … that makes a big difference.”
He also said the process of getting a visa is slow, and believes that’s a hindrance, too.
“We want to make sure that all visitors are coming and visiting for the right reasons, so we respect the process of having to go through getting a visa,” he admitted. “We just have to make it easier through making the visa process faster.”
He said within the next two years, the hope is D.C. will be back to where it was in terms of the overall number of international travelers.
“There is a demand for international travelers to want to come back to the United States. That’s the good news. We just have to make it easier.”
Seeing more of the city
Once they come, city leaders are working to get more tourists to check out more parts of the city — neighborhoods that sit outside the museums and monuments.
“There’s so much going on in D.C. that really speaks to our creativity, and who we are as people and who we are as a community and that’s what we want to invite people to come and explore,” said Nina Albert, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.
Albert said there’s a long history of tourists wanting to know what an authentic neighborhood is like.
“That’s why Eastern Market is so popular, or Georgetown, because it has that history,” Albert said. “Dupont Circle is a really strong brand name among visitors.”
She said the return of pandas to the National Zoo is an invitation for people to check out neighborhoods like Cleveland Park or Woodley Park. The city is working to expand marketing of various events happening around the city’s various neighborhoods, whether it’s something artistic happening at the Anacostia Arts District, or live music in any number of places.
Bowser also said the city is seeing more hotels and restaurants open up, and she expects bigger events to come to the city. The mayor’s budget includes about $3.5 million to help host large events — ones that draw 10,000 or more people — throughout the city.
“That is to bring more people into the city, all across the city, and there would be a reason to go, around a festival,” Albert said. “Once people get into a neighborhood they obviously go and explore the shops and everything around it.”
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