According to a recent study carried out by WalletHub, which measured and ranked all the best winter holiday trip destinations across the country, the District just so happens to be one of the best places in America to visit during the winter holidays!
The study took a variety of factors into account to calculate their rankings, such as the cost of travel, local prices, attractions, safety, and more.
Where does the D.C. rank among the nation’s top holiday destinations?
According to the study, which split up two separate rankings for warm weather winter destinations and cold weather winter destinations, the District ranked as the #3 best cold weather holiday destination this winter!
The District’s high ranking, which beat out most of the nation’s largest metro areas, was earned with a ‘total score’ of 62.02 out of a potential 100.
Here is how D.C. scored across each category of the ranking among the cold-weather destinations:
- Travel Costs & Hassles Rank – #3
- Local Costs Rank – #27
- Attractions Rank – #4
- Weather Rank – #5
- Cold-Weather Activities Rank – #11
- Safety Rank – #15
Which cities ranked higher than Washington, D.C.?
Of the 32 major metro areas that were included in the cold-weather holiday destination ranking, only two cities were ranked higher than the District!
Those two cities were:
- Chicago (Total score of 66.39)
- Atlanta (Total score of 66.02)
What methodology did this study use?
For its methodology, this study focused on 6 key dimensions and evaluated those dimensions by measuring 37 relevant metrics:
- Travel Costs & Hassles = 18 points
- Cost of Cheapest Flight – 5.4 points
- Duration of Cheapest Flight – 1.8 points
- Number of Connections on Cheapest Flight – 0.9 points
- Cost of Shortest Flight – 5.4 points
- Duration of Shortest Flight – 1.8 points
- Number of Connections on Shortest Flight – 0.9 points
- Share of Delayed Flights – 1.8 points
- Local Costs = 18 points
- Cost of Three-Star Hotel Room – 4.5 points
- Average Price for Two-Person Meal – 4.5 points
- Taxi-Fare Cost – 4.5 points
- Cost of Living – 4.5 points
- Attractions = 18 points
- Number of Attractions – 10.80 points
- Diversity of Attractions – 7.20 points
- Weather = 18 points
- Incelement Weather Predictions – 18 points
- Activities = 18 points
- Proximity to Ski Slopes – 2 points
- Ice-Skating Rings per Capita – 2 points
- Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita – 2 points
- Music Venues per Capita – 2 points
- Food Festivals per Capita – 2 points
- Restaurants per Capita – 2 points
- Availability of Affordable, High-Quality (4.5+ stars) Restaurants – 2 points
- Wellness Centers & Spas per Capita – 2 points
- Shopping Centers per Capita – 2 points
- Safety = 10 points
- Violent Crime Rate – 2.86 points
- Property Crime Rate – 2.86 points
- DUI-Related Fatal Incidents per Capita – 1.43 points
- Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths – 1.43 points