D.C. tour operators say they are losing half or more of their revenue in 2026 as construction fencing blocks iconic sites and international visitors stay away.
The losses, first reported by the Washington Post, stretch across the local tour industry. E. David Luria, owner of Washington Photo Safari and a D.C. resident for 56 years, said his bookings are down about 50 percent from 2025. He keeps a running list of sites that have become inaccessible: the fenced-off Reflecting Pool, most of Lafayette Square, the demolished White House East Wing now replaced by a $900 million ballroom under construction, the shuttered Kennedy Center and large sections of the National Mall.
"People just aren't coming," Luria said. "They just don't want to put up with it."
Carolyn Crouch, founder of Washington Walks, said revenue dropped 70 percent in July and August and about 50 percent for the rest of the year. She said the company is on track to finish 2026 with a loss. Other operators reported similar declines. Rauf Shakir, co-owner of USA Guided Tours, said revenue is down 65 to 75 percent from two years ago, when the company was taking 80,000 to 90,000 visitors a year.
Guides point to two forces. Chain-link fencing lines the Potomac River, surrounds construction zones and sections off parts of the Mall under repair. At the same time, operators say international travelers are deterred by the administration's immigration policies, tariffs and visa restrictions. Canden Arciniega, co-owner of DC by Foot Tours, said international clients have dropped more than 50 percent and Canadian corporate and school group traffic has disappeared.
Independent data confirms the international pullback. Visitors from abroad fell more than 5 percent in 2025, from 2.2 million to 2.1 million, according to the DowntownDC Business Improvement District's 2025 State of Downtown report. Nationally, international travel to the U.S. was down nearly 6 percent through August 2026, according to Tourism Economics. International visitors spend four times more per trip than domestic travelers, according to Destination DC.
Downtown hotel occupancy slid to 68 percent in 2025, down from 73 percent in 2024 and well below the pre-pandemic average of 79 percent. Museum attendance on the National Mall fell 13 percent in 2025 and sits nearly 50 percent below its 10-year pre-pandemic average. The BID report also noted that the mobilization of the National Guard and deployment of federal immigration enforcement likely reduced visitation in 2025.
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis rejected the tour guides' claims in an emailed statement to the Post, calling the assertions false. The administration pointed to repairs at dozens of fountains and memorials, the installation of more than 1,100 park benches and the removal of 154 homeless encampments.
Total visitors to D.C. reached 27.2 million in 2025, spending $11.9 billion, according to the DC Chamber of Commerce. Destination DC said domestic trends remain positive, driven partly by America's 250th anniversary events. But the agency said it does not yet have 2026 visitor figures.
Meanwhile, Destination DC's marketing budget was cut by two-thirds in fiscal year 2026 after the hotel tax allocation dropped from 1.97 percent to 0.97 percent, El Tiempo Latino reported in September. With fewer marketing dollars and no official count of 2026 visitors, operators are left measuring the damage on their own.
