Media Opportunities at Non-Official Inauguration Events and Sites in Washington, D.C.: A Look at How Hotels, Attractions and Restaurants Are Preparing to Welcome Inauguration Day Visitors
Bill Hanbury,
President & CEO, Destination DC, the official convention and tourism corporation for Washington, D.C
Foreign Press Center Briefing
Washington, DC
January 13, 2009
3:00P.M. EDT
Video
MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming. Today’s briefer is Mr. Bill Hanbury. Mr. Hanbury is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Destination D.C., and is responsible for promoting the District and the Capital Region as a premier tourism and convention destination. Destination D.C. is the Washington metropolitan area's primary marketing organization and is responsible for the $5 billion travel and tourism sector. Mr. Hanbury will make a few brief remarks and then we’ll go to our Q & A session.
Mr. Hanbury.
MR. HANBURY: Good afternoon, everybody. It’s good to be with you. And thank you -- thanks so much for the invitation. Again, I’m Bill Hanbury and CEO of Destination D.C., the official tourism marketing entity for Washington, D.C., and marketing Washington as a global destination for meetings, travel, and tourism. The hospitality business is the largest private sector industry in Washington, D.C., second only to the federal government in the economic benefit it generates to the economy.
In 2007, travel and tourism brought in about $5.6 billion in visitor spending in hotels, restaurants, entertainment, arts and culture, and transportation. Our organization plays a key role in major events that take place in Washington, D.C., such as the upcoming inauguration. People around the world continue to turn to us as a trusted source for tourism information.
Since Election Day, we’ve been busy playing that role. As you know, people from across the United States and literally around the world are coming to Washington, D.C. next week to celebrate the Obama victory. We’ve been inspired by this election and by the President-elect. There’s a new interest in citizenship and the role of government that it plays in a person’s life.
Building on this tremendous energy and excitement, the Presidential Inaugural Committee has stressed that their goal is to make this inauguration the most open and accessible in history. To help accommodate the estimated two million or more visitors that are anticipated for the celebration, we’ve done our part to communicate information about the official events to travelers. The whole expanse of the National Mall, west of 4th Street, is open to the public for the first time during the swearing-in. And more than 70 percent of the parade route will be open to the public also. Additionally, free and open to the public on Sunday afternoon will be an opening ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial, which is featuring performers like Beyonce, Bruce Springstein and Garth Brooks. I assure you, I’ll be there for that one.
For more than two months now, we have aggregated information from local and federal agencies involved in addressing security, transportation, and other inaugural issues. We’ve communicated with travelers, as well as travel professionals, event planners, journalists and locals who want to take part in the week’s events, or anybody who’s just planning to have out-of-town visitors. We’ve developed a dedicated website, Washington.org/inauguration, where travelers can get information about the official events, plus listings for more than 90 unofficial events and celebrations. Also, we have provided general travel information and helpful hints in planning events, in planning their trips to this important global event.
Our website has seen a tremendous increase in traffic, rising 76 percent in November and December 2008, compared with the same period in 2007. And we’ve responded to literally thousands and thousands of phone calls and web inquiries. We continue to update our website actually every day. So as we learn more information, we’ll pass it along to you. And I really encourage you and your audiences to use this site as a resource to assist with your coverage.
We’ve also been closely monitoring hotel availability in and around Washington, D.C. Despite widespread media reports that D.C.’s 29,000 hotel rooms were fully booked, we’ve assisted hundreds and hundreds of travelers in locating rooms in and outside of the D.C. area, by working directly with the hotels, surveying them weekly to learn which properties have rooms available. As of last week, there were still about 750 rooms available in D.C. proper and another 12,000 hotel rooms within 200 miles of the city.
On our website, we’re also showing off the creativity and talent of our hospitality industry, including our chefs who are serving special cuisine and cocktails in honor of the new administration. At Ceiba, located a block off Pennsylvania Avenue, you can enjoy hot chocolate on the morning of the parade, or at Oya, you can taste and then toast the new president with a glass of Obama Bubbly, a sparkling wine with a special name in honor of the occasion. We also have several restaurants offering special $44 fixed-price menus in honor of our 44th president.
In this final week, we’ll continue to work with hotels, attractions, restaurants and special event venues, assisting travelers in locating accommodations, restaurants, and spaces for parties and galas, plus providing practical information to assist travelers with their inaugural planning.
There’s no question that this inauguration is a great opportunity for us to showcase what’s new in the city, including presidentially themed attractions, like the remodeled National Museum of American History, which opened on November 21st, and the Capitol Visitor Center on December 2nd.
To help carry this excitement into the months ahead, we’ve also launched a new cultural tourism celebration honoring the Lincoln bicentennial. From his use of the Lincoln Bible for his swearing in to the opening ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial, Barack Obama has evoked the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, another great leader from Illinois who governed in a time of crisis.
Throughout the spring, we’ll be celebrating Lincoln’s life and legacy, along with the spirit of possibility that both men have championed with more than 80 programs and events, like the reopening of Ford’s Theatre in February, and the rededication of the Lincoln memorial in May. We’ve brought some copies of press releases outlining this celebration, along with some brochures, or you can read all about it on our online site at LincolnInDC.com.
There’s no doubt that this inauguration has captured the imagination of people around the world, and the D.C. hospitality industry stands ready to welcome them and the benefits that they bring through travel and tourism to the region’s economy, and really, to better understanding between American citizens and citizens of the world.
The energy and excitement surrounding this historic moment will be felt here in D.C. for months and months to come, way beyond January 20th. We hope more travelers will come here to share this historic moment and historic moments in the future. We hope that they find inspiration in our vibrant and beautiful city in the same way that they’ve found inspiration in our new President.
As we compete in the international tourism marketplace, we’re delighted to share this historic event and the beginnings of a new era for our city and for our country with people really from around the globe. In fact, improving our global image was one of Obama’s main themes during the campaign. We hope that this improved image and this new energy will help U.S. firms sell more products in the global market, bring more tourists to America, and put more U.S. citizens to work in, really, a crisis economy. It should certainly further fuel the growth trends we’ve seen in international tourism in D.C., which increased a robust 13 percent in 2007.
Needless to say, the next week and throughout 2009, it’s going to be a powerful moment in time for the capital city. We’re excited and honored to be sharing this with the nation, and we’re also excited to be sharing it with the world.
And at this point, glad to take questions. And thanks, everybody.
MODERATOR: When you ask a question, please introduce yourself, your organization, and your country, please.
We’ll start here.
QUESTION: My name is Patricia Mello. I work with O Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazilian newspaper. I have a question. Do you have a target of how much you expect the tourism revenues to increase because of the inauguration? And is 2 million the estimate? Because I’m hearing everything, you know, from 2 to 5 million, so –
MR. HANBURY: They’re both great questions. First of all, on the estimate, there are no official estimates. If you talk to the national park police, the Capitol police, there will be no national estimates. I guess there will be some estimates when all is said and done, but at this point, I think what I’ve heard the most is 2 million, and perhaps a little bit more than that. I mean, there really is a limit to our capacity as far as metro is concerned, as far as public transit is concerned, so I think the estimates of 2 million people are probably pretty reasonable at this point.
And as far as tax and revenue increases, our CFO of the city has estimated that in past inaugurations, sales tax revenues have increased 15 to 20 percent during the month of January. So we’re at least going to see this. We do believe that this will be the largest inauguration ever. Heretofore, in 1965 was the largest inauguration before this, the inauguration for Lyndon Johnson; again, in a time of great national change in America. And we’re pretty confident that this inauguration is going to be larger than that event in 1965.
Yes, sir.
QUESTION: Thank you. I am from Armenian Public Television (ph). My name is Haykaram Nahapetyan. The foreign councils who were represented by the Ambassador said there will be no delegation from other countries. Am I right? Thank you.
MR. HANBURY: Well, the ambassadors will be represented. And as you know, we have about 185 embassies in Washington, D.C. And probably Mike can answer this better from the State Department than I can, but as far as I know, all of the embassies have been invited and the Ambassadors will be in attendance. But I don’t think that there’s any major delegations coming from other countries, if I’m not mistaken – at least, Heads of State, for this event.
And Mike, maybe you can help with that as a – yeah, okay.
Yes, sir.
QUESTION: Christoph Von Marschall, Der Taggespiegel, Germany. (Inaudible) rumored that (inaudible) sold out. (Inaudible) rumors are not – did you follow where (inaudible) false information came from or who was behind it or who – what might be interested, selling private rooms for that reason, or – I’m just trying to learn how this can happen.
MR. HANBURY: Yeah. Thank you for that question, because it’s actually perplexed us, also. I mean, there had been rooms available, really throughout the run-up to the inauguration. It’s certainly a very tight situation, and there aren’t many rooms available. And some have become available as we’re gotten closer, where people have cancelled some reservations or, you know, had large room blocks for groups and they reduced down those room blocks. So there is availability and I think anybody that wants to attend the inauguration, there’s still availability of rooms directly in D.C., although probably pricier than out in the suburbs and in the – you know, in the commuting distances.
But there are actually reasonably rated rooms, around $200, if I’m not mistaken, for rooms in the suburban areas for people that still want to participate in the inauguration.
Yes, sir.
QUESTION: Sheldon Alberts, from Canwest, in Canada. I’m wondering, you know, a week out from the inauguration, what’s keeping you up at night in terms of security or transportation? What is your – not what your biggest fear is, but what makes you most anxious right now?
MR. HANBURY: Sheldon, it’s a great question, and I think most people in Washington, D.C. will share this with me that are actually, you know, working on the inauguration: It’s the weather. You know, we really cannot have a cold day on the day of the Inauguration, or we’re going to have an awful lot of uncomfortable people. You know, we’re hoping for reasonable weather. You know, snow would be a problem. It potentially could cancel the parade. We don’t want that to happen, and we’re confident that we’ll ring through with some good weather and Washington will have a decent day on January 20th.
QUESTION: Just to do a quick follow-up.
MR. HANBURY: Sure.
QUESTION: Have you had any specific – how much hoop-jumping have you had to do regarding security, and are you convinced that Metro can handle the passengers?
MR. HANBURY: Well, you know what? We as a city do a lot of big events, so whether it’s a G-20 or an inauguration, a presidential funeral or, you know, another major national event, we – this city is very adept at major national and international events. The amount of preparation and cooperation that has gone into preparing for the inauguration is really quite unprecedented. So we do believe that the city is well prepared to host the inauguration.
From a security perspective, people are going to have to pack a major dose of patience when they come to the inauguration, because there will be unprecedented security during the ceremonies and the parade and the events surrounding the official event. And I just think people are going to have to be prepared for that and be willing to wait longer than they normally would wait for a major event, and just be capable of dealing with what will be really unprecedented security around this event.
Yes, sir.
QUESTION: My name is Daniel Anyz with Czech daily paper Hospodarske Noviny from Prague. You mentioned security. Did you have any word in the preparation including advice how the security should look like, for example, this is too much, so maybe you should open this exit or something like that?
MR. HANBURY: I think there’s been a lot of focus, you know, both from the city and in federal agencies on making sure that this is a secure event, but it’s also an open and accommodating event for visitors. You know, the President-elect and the Presidential Inaugural Committee has made a very big point of pointing out that they want this to be the most accessible, the most open and most user-friendly inauguration in history. That’s why they have all kinds of events that are open to the public, including the event on Sunday that will be at the Lincoln Memorial. And I do think that there is this appropriate balance that is being, you know, hopefully kept between securing the event and making sure that it’s a friendly, accommodating, and welcoming event for visitors.
You know, the President-elect reached out to a whole new constituency, a younger constituency that voted for him. He wants to make sure that those people are engaged in a new era of citizenship, a new era of democracy, and we certainly don’t want to turn those folks off by, you know, not having a welcoming and accommodating capital city as they come and visit the inauguration.
And really, for many people, it will be their first trip to Washington. Folks that will come to this inauguration, this will be their first trip. So we want to make sure we put our best foot forward and show the world, literally show the world, that we are a friendly and accommodating city.
MR. BUFFINGTON: We will open it to New York before I go here. New York, do you have a question?
MR. WYETT: We do not at this time, thank you.
MR. BUFFINGTON: Yes, sir.
QUESTION: This is Umit Enginsoy with Turkish NTV television. Could you give us a couple of comparisons with past similar events? And for example, how many visitors did we have in 2000 or the largest time – the largest in history? And also, do you have statistics about not major security issues, but criminal activities during – throughout the city during inauguration ceremonies?
One last thing. It’s slightly relevant. But was Obama getting sworn in at exactly noon on Tuesday?
MR. HANBURY: The indication is that he’s going to be sworn in a little bit before noon on --
QUESTION: (Inaudible.)
MR. HANBURY: Yeah, the term ends on 12 noon, so he’ll be sworn in a little – just a little bit before 12 noon.
From a security perspective, you know, the Metropolitan Police Department is one of the best police agencies in the world. They are very adept, very experienced at dealing with these mega events like that, whether it’s a protest, an inauguration, or a presidential funeral. And they have forewarned retailers and hotels and other businesses about the possibility of activity, crime activity, potentially during the inauguration, although that’s not my area of expertise by any stretch of the imagination. But I do know that the police department has briefed businesses, and I believe that, again, we will be very well prepared from a law enforcement perspective and from a security perspective. We have an unprecedented number of law enforcement agencies that are cooperating with us during this event, and I think that will dissuade anybody that has any intent of – you know, for some types of activities that may not be appropriate for the day.
Comparing it to other events, we generate in any given year in the direct – in the D.C. proper area, about 16 million tourists that come and stay overnight in hotels and visit us, and about 20 million in the metropolitan region. So you can see what 2 million means – represents to us for this event. I mean, it’s a very, very big number.
How does it compare to other events? The largest event ever for Metro, our transportation – our public transit system, was actually the Reagan funeral. That was the largest amount of visitor traffic, or rider traffic on Metro, on any given day. And I assure you, we will surpass that the day of the inauguration. And you know, we’ve done the Million Man March in the past, the “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 by Martin Luther King. Those were gigantic crowds that – you know, that were on the national mall, and it seems befitting that Barack Obama will have come full circle to the “I Have a Dream” speech and will himself will be on the Lincoln – will be at the Lincoln Memorial come next Sunday.
Yes, sir.
MR. BUFFINGTON: We’ll go there.
QUESTION: You mentioned – Marcel Calfat with CBC Radio Canada. You mentioned earlier the 15 to 20 percent that the revenues go up, the tax revenues. In terms of dollars, what’s the estimate of how much will be coming in to – how much business will be generated because of the inauguration?
MR. HANBURY: Well, it’s in the hundreds of millions, and it’s way beyond a Super Bowl or a World Series or any – you know, any major event like that. But there is no estimate on what the final economic impact will be. There may be some estimates at the end of the day out of the CFO’s office in the city, but there is no official estimate. But it’s deep into the hundreds of millions of dollars. There’s just no question about it. I know.
I know last year in Phoenix when they did the Super Bowl, they estimated that the Super Bowl was worth about $300 million to the city. Well, this is, you know, 10 to 20 Super Bowls wrapped up into one. So I mean, the economic impact not only to the District of Columbia, not only to the region, but to, you know, hundreds of miles around, is actually quite dramatic. Because hotels in Reading, Pennsylvania to Richmond, Virginia are actually, you know, occupied by people that will be participating in the inaugural events.
A follow-up? Sure.
QUESTION: Well, I’m trying to get down to a number. So if you say 300 million and this is maybe 10 times more the Phoenix Super Bowl, are we talking close to a billion? When you said several hundred million --
MR. HANBURY: You know, actually, I can’t give you that number because it just isn’t – it isn’t possible to make that kind of estimate. But it is dramatic. As I said to somebody the other day, it’s bigger than a bread box, is a saying they have in the U.S.. And this is a very, very significant event for – for not only just Washington, D.C., and the region, but really for the state of Virginia, the state of Maryland. Pennsylvania is being affected by this. And at the end of the day, I like to think of it as it’s putting a lot people to work in a time – matter of fact, in a time when the economy is not really doing very well. You know, the tourism economy in the U.S. is not doing very well, and you know, certainly the region’s tourism economy – this is usually the slowest time of the year. So I guess I’ll leave it at that.
QUESTION: If I may, on the flip side, do you have any idea of the costs of putting all this together?
MR. HANBURY: The costs are dramatic. And I think what I – the best thing to do is, I think, chat with the District of Columbia Government, the Mayor’s Office, about those figures. You know, there are extraordinary costs incurred for security and logistics for this event that are both incurred by the federal government and by the city government, but I really think that’s an estimate for the city to provide you with.
Yes, sir.
QUESTION: Thank you. My name is Endale Getahun from EC TV from Ethiopia. As you know, there are restaurants located in Washington, D.C., the largest restaurants from Africa or from Ethiopia. And have you had any consult with those restaurants and some of the business and opportunity?
And also, the second question I have is on the security. I know there is – we expect (inaudible) from around the world. And how is the security bilingual – I mean, especially speaking other languages in order to accommodate for those first-time visitors to the Washington area?
Thank you.
MR. HANBURY: Two good questions. One, restaurants in the area have a wide series of specials, whether it’s the cuisine or the drinks that are commemorating the President-elect and the Vice President-elect. And I am sure that the wonderful Ethiopian restaurants in Washington, D.C., are doing the same thing. There is – actually, on our website, the listings at Washington.org\inauguration. There is a lot of interesting tidbits on special cuisines and beverages being provided by restaurants in the area.
And as far as our ability to provide for a bilingual audience, we really rely on the hotel community to do that for us. Many of the major hotels in Washington, D.C., have a wide array of bilingual capabilities, and so we’re counting on them to provide us with that kind of support as our visitors come. And you know what? We work very, very hard as a hospitality industry in that quarter. We consider ourselves a global destination, a world class destination. And any world class destination, whether you’re in Paris, London, Rome, or Moscow, you have to be able to provide those kinds of accommodations for visitors. And certainly, translation capabilities and bilingual capabilities are part of that ability to be a world class destination.
Additional question?
QUESTION: Klaudia Kocimska, Polish Television, Poland. What piece – what advice would you give to the tourists who come here – what to take, what not to take? And the second question: How are you planning to handle the catering and toilets for such an amount of people? Can you give us some numbers, for example?
MR. HANBURY: Yeah, that’s two good questions, and thank you for those.
One, as far as first aid and portable toilets and those types of things, I would ask that you touch base with the National Park Service that is responsible for – particularly on the Mall and along the parade route -- for those amenities. But my understanding is that there’ll be about 60 different medical way stations that are supporting the crowds on the National Mall and during the parade. But as far as port-a-johns and other types of amenities, I would suggest that you go to the National Park Service for that.
And the other part of your question, the first question was?
QUESTION: The tips and advice –
MR. HANBURY: Oh, tips. I could give you plenty of tips for – I would – as I mentioned before, pack a major dose of patience, because there are going to be gigantic crowds. But we want people to dress warm. We want them to wear comfortable shoes. We really don’t believe, particularly on the National Mall, that it’s appropriate to bring small children. You’re not going to be able to get into the National Mall with strollers or other types of mobile devices. You don’t want to bring knapsacks and big packs. You know, as small as possible, just because you’re going to be stopped by security if, in fact, you’re wearing backpacks or other – you know, carrying other large types of portable suitcases or other amenities that you’re carrying, you know, your personal items in.
I do believe also that, you know, Metro is going to be very, very crowded, so you’re going to want to prepay on your – make sure you have prepay on your transit charges. And again, bring a big dose of patience, because security will really be unprecedented and people will just have to be cognizant that that’s going to be the environment that they’ll be in during that day.
Additional questions? (No response.)
First of all, and for last but not least, thank you giving me a chance to chat with you. We look really forward to an exciting next six or seven days. And as you need additional information on side stories or other pertinent information on the inauguration, please don’t hesitate to use us as a resource. Thank you.
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