More than 19 million U.S. tourists visited Washington in 2015, an increase of 1 million over the previous year and a record for the nation’s capital as its tourism industry continues to make steady progress since the Great Recession.
Foreign and domestic tourists spent a record $7.1 billion in Washington, according to data released Tuesday by Destination DC, the city’s tourism bureau.
The domestic visitation total was up by 5.3 percent over 2014, according to the data, and the total amount spent was up 4 percent. International tourist totals from 2015 will be released in August.
The tourism industry supports 74,000 jobs in the District of Columbia, according to Destination DC.
“Year after year, more visitors are coming to the District, which is a huge boon for our city,” Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement.
Spending on hotels and retail increased, and tourism officials were particularly encouraged that spending on entertainment was up by 2.6 percent, suggesting visitors are being less cautious with their dollars than they were during the recession.