The number of visitors traveling to the District of Columbia dropped by 3 percent in 2002 to 17.6 million, according to statistics released Wednesday by the Washington, D.C. Convention & Tourism Corp.

The biggest drop in tourists included those making day-trips to the city, a decline of 28 percent or 1.4 million people. However, persons staying overnight in the District jumped 6.8 percent, or an additional 900,000 visitors.

Visitors for leisure travel to the area dropped by 8 percent, although nationally, the Travel Industry of America reported a 1.7 percent increase. In contrast, business travel to the District rose by 8 percent, while dropping 5.5 percent nationally.

Group Holds Middle East Peace Teach-In

The Tikkun Community, an organization which bills itself as “a Progressive Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine Voice challenging the Pro-Ariel Sharon Lobby and its unholy alliance with right-wing Christian Evangelicals,” will hold a “Teach-In to Congress” at 10 a.m. Tuesday in room 2262 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

The Teach-In, part of a four-day conference being sponsored by the community, will feature Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun Magazine, black author and scholar Cornel West, and Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.), among others. For more information or to register, go online to www.tikkun.org.

— Jennifer Yachnin and Bree Hocking