Washington Seeks a Way to Shout, ‘Come Visit’ (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By ARIEL SABAR
Published: April 22, 2007

WASHINGTON, April 20 — In its hunt for slogans to lure tourists, the nation’s capital has never lit on the elegance of a “Virginia Is for Lovers” or the panache of a “What Happens Here, Stays Here.”

“A Capital City” was fine for a while, until high murder rate in the late 1980s produced an unwanted double meaning. And while residents lined up for “Taxation Without Representation” license plates in 2000, that tagline was more local protest than tourist come-on.

This time, Washington is taking a more studious approach. Tourism officials have hired two brand research firms to convene focus groups and conduct international surveys of attitudes. In addition, a Web site, http//: www. shareyourdc.com, invites the city’s 582,000 residents — and anyone else, for that matter — to propose slogans and take part in weekly polls.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/washington/22slogan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin