Destination DC is sharpening its India strategy with a stronger focus on experiential travel, Tier II and III cities, and trade partnerships, as Indian travellers continue to deliver the highest visitor spending despite connectivity and visa challenges.
Even without a nonstop air connection, India continues to be one of Washington, DC’s most valuable international tourism markets. The destination expects Indian travellers to remain its No.1 international market by visitor spending in 2026, while strengthening engagement with the travel trade to unlock further growth from emerging Indian cities.
Letizia Sirtori, Vice President, Global Tourism, Destination DC, said India has evolved significantly over the past decade, with travellers shifting from visiting friends and relatives (VFR) to experience-led leisure holidays that generate greater economic value for the US capital. “The Indian market has been our number one in spending for the past two years and we expect it to remain number one in 2026 as well. That reflects how valuable Indian travellers have become for Washington, DC,” Sirtori said.
According to Destination DC’s latest market data, India generated US$342.7 million in visitor spending in 2025, making it the destination’s highest-spending international source market. India also became DC’s second-largest international visitation market with 184,500 visitors, remaining 21.8 per cent above 2019 visitation levels. Indian visitors spend an average of US$1,857 per trip, placing them among the city’s highest-value international travellers. International visitors account for only 8 per cent of visitation but contribute 27 per cent of visitor spending, underlining the market’s economic importance.
Sirtori said India is expected to remain among Destination DC’s top three international visitor markets in 2026. While projections indicate it could move from second to third position in arrivals, she stressed that Indian demand remains stable and is still expected to record slight growth this year. “Indian visitation numbers have stayed kind of flat for us. The projection is still slightly increased for 2026, just not by a massive margin. If India moves to number three, it’s because some of the markets that dropped are expected to come back,” she said.
She believes the biggest transformation has been in traveller behaviour. “When we first entered India over ten years ago, much of the traffic was VFR. Today we see many more leisure travellers staying in hotels, dining in restaurants and exploring neighbourhoods beyond the iconic monuments. That change has been driven by younger Indian travellers looking for authentic experiences,” Sirtori said.
To build on this shift, Destination DC is working closely with Indian tour operators to diversify itineraries beyond the city’s iconic landmarks. Alongside the White House and National Mall, the organisation is promoting neighbourhood experiences, cultural districts, luxury offerings, festivals and outdoor activities tailored to evolving traveller preferences. “Every year we try to work with our tour operator partners to introduce something new. It could be linked to festivals, outdoor experiences, music, culture or luxury. We listen to what travellers are looking for and work together to create products that offer a different way to experience Washington, DC,” Sirtori said.
Training the travel trade remains central to this strategy. Destination DC is conducting destination training across India through its local office, expanding outreach beyond metro cities into Tier II and III markets. It also operates the DC Specialist Academy, an online learning platform with incentives for travel agents, alongside familiarisation programmes.
Although Air India suspended its nonstop Delhi-Washington service due to aircraft constraints, Sirtori said the destination continues to benefit from convenient one-stop connections via hubs such as Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, London and Frankfurt. She added that improving global connectivity and Dulles International Airport’s planned expansion would further strengthen long-term accessibility.
Visa processing remains a concern, particularly for group and MICE travel, although Sirtori believes leisure demand has remained resilient. “For leisure travellers, most people planning a US holiday are obtaining their visas. The bigger challenge is for MICE groups, where if only part of a group receives visas, the entire programme can be affected. We continue sharing this feedback with Brand USA and the US Travel Association,” she said.
Looking ahead, Destination DC plans to deepen its presence across India’s emerging source markets while maintaining close partnerships with airlines, tour operators and travel agents. “Our commitment to India remains strong. We want to continue educating the trade, focus on Tier II and III cities, introduce new experiences every year and increase our market share while remaining relevant to Indian travellers,” Sirtori said.
Janice Alyosius is a travel and MICE journalist focusing on business travel, destination marketing, aviation and industry policy. She leads editorial content at MICEtalk and also writes for TravTalk, covering global trends, trade developments and key industry conversations. With regular reporting from tourism forums, conventions and on-ground industry events, her work blends news-led analysis with strong industry voices, offering clear context and relevance for travel trade professionals and decision-makers.