Washington holds tourism promotion event in Beijing

Destination DC, the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC, recently held an event in Beijing to promote the city's rich tourism resources.

Official data show that in 2017, China was the city's largest overseas market with 302,000 Chinese visitors spending over $656 million there. It's estimated that one out of every 10 Chinese travelers to the United States visited Washington, DC.

The marketing organization offers travel tips such as itineraries and dining options on its official WeChat account, with more than 17,000 followers.

Washington's annual National Cherry Blossom Festival will run from March 20 and April 14 in the city, with beautiful fireworks and colorful cultural events.

Meanwhile, according to Elliott L. Ferguson, II, the president and CEO of Destination DC, the city has been developing strong partnerships with Chinese tour operators, leading media and key corporate clients in recent years, to draw more Chinese visitors.

He said there are 18 hotels in the pipeline adding nearly 4,000 rooms to the city. The Conrad Washington, DC and Hilton Washington DC National Mall will open soon this year.

In 2017, the marketing organization launched its Welcome China program, which provides its members including hotels, restaurants and attractions with details on the needs of Chinese travelers