Destination DC President & CEO Elliott Ferguson wants the international travel trade and media to focus on the positive experiences of travelling to and in the U.S., as he addressed global media at IPW25 in Chicago. Karryon is on the ground.
The Destination DC boss was one of the few tourism executives willing to address the so-called ‘elephant in the room’ during his IPW25 press conference and take questions about the current travel landscape in the US as more nations face restricted entry.
As a destination, Ferguson said Washington, DC is challenged with negative headlines.
“Politics aside, we are, as an industry, trying to figure out how we got here,” Ferguson said, addressing the international media.
“The reality for us is, how do we get you to come to the United States, come to Washington, come to other cities and focus on more positive experiences?
“I’d like to think that the process of coming into the United States, the welcome that you’ve received here, the welcome you’ve received in Chicago, that’s what you’ll write about and that there’s an overwhelming sense that the United States wants you to come.”
With Pride Month now on, Ferguson pointed out that Washington, DC recently hosted WorldPride 2025, welcoming the global LGBTQIA+ community to the US capital across three weeks.
However, international attendance has been estimated at up to two-thirds down on initial projections due to harassment concerns or to protest the current administration’s policies.
Washington, DC is home to the largest percentage of the LGBTQIA+ population in the US at 14 per cent.
“We were very proud to host WorldPride, and it really focused on the 700,000 people that live in Washington, DC, the 14 per cent who have unified as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and the fact that as a destination, we welcome people from all backgrounds,” Ferguson said.
“And it was an amazing time to be in Washington, to be a Washingtonian and to showcase our city from a different lens.
“But equally as much as I talk about the population of the city, think of the 180 embassies – people who come from all over the world and choose to remain in Washington because they feel safe being in Washington, DC, and they love the dynamics of our destination as a whole.”
Ferguson asked the international travel media at IPW25 to focus on the welcome for travellers to the US and the ease of entering the country.
“One of the things I appreciate about travel, especially leaving the US and going to different parts of the world, is that we appreciate how much more we are alike than different,” he said.
“No matter what the rhetoric is, Americans welcome global visitors into our country, and that’s what we want you to write about… things that are not necessarily tied to government and tied to our city as a destination is extremely important.
“If you choose not to come, for whatever reason, we understand, but we hope that you will continue to feel comfortable at some point of coming back to the US again, to travel as a whole,” he said.
Brand USA just launched its latest global campaign, ‘America the Beautiful’, at IPW25.
For more info, head to washington.org
