They’re back. Armed with camcorders and digital cameras, maps and fanny packs, tourists are venturing back to the nation’s capital. Tourism, the biggest private industry in Washington, lost millions of dollars after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Anthrax-laced letters, sniper shootings, elevated terror alerts, a weak economy, and the war in Iraq also contributed to keeping tourists away. A renewed sense of patriotism, however, is drawing Americans back to the District of Columbia this year. The number of domestic visits in 2003 is up from last year and is expected to equal or surpass the pre-Sept. 11 level of more than 18 million in 2001. Lisa Rodriguez of Amarillo, Texas, and her brother-in-law Joe Rodriguez, dressed in red, white, and blue from hat to shoe to visit the National Mall last week on a trolley bus tour. Full Story
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