Destination DC will revitalize its marketing campaign, DC Cool, by focusing on millennial travelers and user-generated content with an increased emphasis on social media. Engaging partners, members and the public, the #MyDCCool campaign is designed to build momentum and increase positive commentary about the city.
Destination DC’s Facebook account reaches 315,112 fans. In the last 12 months, Destination DC’s Instagram following increased by more than 567%; the @washingtondc Twitter account increased its followers by 28% and generated 19.4 million impressions.
Looking for fresh ways to engage visitors on mobile devices, FY15, DC became the first tourism office to offer bit-mojis. A new set of 24 DC Emoji will launch in FY16.
Destination DC will receive an additional $3 million earmark in funding exclusively for marketing from the Mayor’s office. “Our FY15 ROI study shows for every dollar spent on advertising, we recouped $2.54 in taxes from visitor spending, up from $1.77 in FY2013,” said Destination DC president and CEO Elliott L. Ferguson.
According to a release, the economic influence of Washington, DC’s travel and tourism industry “was heralded at Destination DC’s Marketing Outlook Meeting at the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC. The annual marketing summit, themed “Millennials and the Future of Travel,” drew nearly 500 area hospitality professionals” to hear Ferguson, Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and other industry leaders outline strategies to draw domestic and international travelers to Washington, DC in 2016 and beyond.
Ferguson stated in 2014, “DC attracted an all-time record 20.2 million visitors: 18.34 domestic and 1.9 million overseas, the latter up 16% over 2013,” he said. “Tourism supports almost 75,000 jobs in the District and created $725 million dollars in tax revenue. Without it, each DC household would have to contribute an additional $2,500.”
The top-ten markets for overseas visitors to DC are, in order of visitors: China, United Kingdom, Germany, France,Australia, India, South Korea, Brazil, Japan and Italy.
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