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D.C. Faces Tall Task of Boosting International Convention Business in Trump Era

Dan Peltier

Photo Credit: Convention attendees like the ones pictured here are who Destination D.C. is working hard to attract amid a divisive political climate in the destination. Flickr / Jeffrey Zeldman

Skift Take

D.C.'s convention business projections aren't looking good. As a political epicenter, dealing with how convention planners respond to politics is not new for the city but the current administration makes it a particularly tough sell.

Organizations hold their conventions in Washington, D.C. each year, in part, because of the destination’s proximity to powerful politicians. But the city’s convention business has declined in recent years, prompting Destination D.C., the city's tourism board, is ramping up efforts to attract more international conventions. Washington, D.C.'s current political climate isn't the only factor that is likely keeping some conventions away as currency and competing destinations are always in the mix. But as home to President Donald Trump and his often-divisive policies, such as a travel ban and a proposed policy change aiming to roll back federal protections for people who identify as transgender, Washington, D.C

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