Find out where DC has been in the news this month and what's new with the marketing team.
Destination DC's (DDC) marketing and communications strategy supports economic development through tourism by reaching potential visitors and inspiring them to travel to the nation’s capital. The current cross-channel promotional efforts are focused on fall travel across editorial and content development.
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Media Coverage
Domestic
The TODAY Show highlights the number of cherry blossoms across the city. AAA and Family Vacationist name DC among its top spring break destinations, Nat Geo lists DC among the best places to celebrate America’s 250th and She Buys Travel says DC is a top city to visit with teens. Travel + Leisure mentions more than 25 members in its updated story about when to visit, while Passport’s guide to WorldPride is a first-person account of an LGBTQ+ trip to DC. Elliott talks about the economic impact of tourism with ABC 7.
International
Germany’s Mannschaft and Têtu Magazine (France) spotlight WorldPride, and India’s Hindustan Times promotes the WorldPride Music Festival. The New Zealand Herald ranks the best things to see and do in the city. China’s Voyage spotlights DDC’s trip to China, which is syndicated 13 times. Travel News Digest (India) lists A250 experiences in DC and Travel & Life (Mexico) compiles eight luxury hotels and experiences in DC. Brazil’sViagem News features African American heritage in DC.
Trade
Convention South's Event Planner Guide to Washington, DC features the value of working with DDC and more than 100 members. Dianna Waldroup shares her expertise on managing event risk for a white paper produced by Smart Meetings and Destinations International. Trade outlets highlight DC's new hotels, spring blooms, WorldPride and pandas. Destinations' cover story on Black heritage tourism spotlights DC's new Go-Go Museum & Cafe, the Anacostia Community Museum and more. The communications team supported DDC's second annual Sustainability Summit, which is picked up by Exhibitor and Travel and Tour World.
Marketing Highlights
Travel Rally
From 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on May 6, 2025, DDC will host its annual Travel Rally at Nationals Park, specifically on its Terra Club Patio. The annual press conference and rally will feature an announcement of the latest tourism visitation numbers and will go into detail on the economic impact and jobs supported by travel to DC. The event will take place during National Travel & Tourism Week and will include remarks from Mayor Bowser, Elliott Ferguson and other industry leaders.
Summer Deals & Events Reminder
With summer and exciting events like Passport DC, WorldPride 2025, the FIFA Club World Cup and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival all quickly approaching. Make sure to get in front of these visitors by uploading your offers, deals and events to the Member Extranet. Deals and events are prominently featured on seasonal landing pages, which are always among the top-performing content on washington.org. Make sure to include blackout dates and other essential information.
Social Highlights
Leisure Social
March in DC was all about celebrating Women’s History Month, art, sports and the arrival of spring. For Women’s History Month, we spotlighted Frida Kahlo’s only work on view in DC, Art with Tosca helped us showcase a groundbreaking female artist at National Gallery of Art and we promoted women-owned businesses in DC. On the sports front, we celebrated 20 years of Nationals baseball and cheered on the DC Defenders as they took the field.
As the seasons changed, we counted down to spring’s arrival, celebrated Daylight Saving Time and shared the best parks to visit this season. Of course, March in DC wouldn’t be complete without cherry blossom fever – we covered everything from the National Cherry Blossom Festival (NCBF) to the best places for peak bloom photos and even shared the arrival of the cherry blossom-wrapped Metro car. To continue the spring infatuation, influencer partners highlighted NCBF events and recapped Pink Tie Party. Plus, we looked ahead to WorldPride with an LGBTQ+ Dupont Circle food tour.
Industry Social
Industry channels welcomed America’s Credit Unions’ Governmental Affairs Conference to DC, promoted and recapped our second annual Sustainability Summit and built excitement for America’s 250th birthday in DC. As spring arrived, we celebrated the season’s impact on meetings in DC – complete with cherry blossoms in full bloom. Member Spotlights included Hard Rock Cafe, Friends Meeting of Washington, El Tamarindo and DC Design Tours.
