Written by DCist contributor Lindsay Gibson.

Just as we learn that tourists spent record dollars in the District last year, the Smithsonian Institution is lamenting a drop in attendance to their museums during the same time period. Apparently visitors willing to shell out cash are balking at the Capital’s fine free attractions.

Some buildings were closed during Deluge ’06, but museum officials are primarily placing the blame on the series of crimes against tourists this summer. Three muggings and 2 assaults took place on and around the National Mall in May and July. Five people were finally arrested for the crimes in August, and all plead guilty to charges related to the attacks.

Attacks on tourists are certainly worrisome, but overall, the Mall remains one of the safest places to be in the District. National reports hyped up the “crime wave” on the Mall throughout the summer, but Park Police Chief Dwight E. Pettiford reminded the Post that there hadn’t been a similar incident in 10 years.

Smithsonian press officials should have responded strongly, reminding tourists that most of the incidents happened well after 10 p.m., when many streets around the Mall are deserted and tourists make good targets.

The Smithsonian’s offerings continue to expand, with the more recent opening of the National Museum of the American Indian and the long awaited re-opening of the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery. But even with these improvements, officials would be wise to remember that they sometimes have to be pro-active to keep their “customers.”