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TOURISM IN SEATTLE-KING COUNTY SETS NEW RECORDS
Newly-Released Industry Research Indicates Significant Increases in Visitor Spending
July 16, 2008
SEATTLE - For the third year in a row, Seattle and King County have posted record visitor volumes and spending, according to a report released today by Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB).
According to SCVB's 2007 Market Profile and Economic Impact of Seattle-King County Visitors, compiled by CIC Research, Inc., overnight visitor volumes in the city and county increased to a record 9.5 million in 2007, up nearly one percent over the previous year. These visitors spent a record $5.16 billion while visiting the city and county, up 8.6 percent. This spending represents approximately 10 percent of annual taxable sales in King County.
Total state and local taxes paid by visitors while in Seattle and King County increased 11.7 percent to $468 million in 2007 (from $419 million in 2006).
"Seattle is now a top destination for both leisure and business travel, thanks to a growing tourism infrastructure and sustained destination marketing," said Tom Norwalk, who will become SCVB President & CEO on July 25. "During the first half of 2008, Seattle has continued to see growth in hotel development, convention business, cruises from the Port of Seattle, new air service, and increased in visits from overseas travelers and cultural offerings that serve as demand generators of tourism."
Figures released in May by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, indicated 25 percent growth in overseas visitor to Seattle during 2007. International air passenger arrivals at Sea-Tac International Airport grew 8.9 percent in 2007, and are up 17.1 percent through May 2008.
Last month, Hainan Airlines inaugurated the first non-stop service between Beijing and Seattle, making Seattle the airline's first U.S. destination. Lufthansa Airlines began daily non-stop service between Frankfurt, Germany and Seattle last March. Last year, Air France inaugurated non-stop service between Seattle and Paris and Aeromexico inaugurated the first daily non-stop service between Seattle and Mexico City. The Port of Seattle will open a new, third runway at Sea-Tac later this year.
The Port of Seattle projects record passenger volumes of 435,000 in 2008 with five major cruise lines offering 211 sailings. Plans for a new cruise terminal at Piers 90 and 91 are underway.
Hotel room nights generated by conventions are 30 percent higher this summer over summer 2007. Between 2006 and 2009, some 1,400 new hotel rooms will open throughout the region. The Arctic Hotel opened this summer and the much-anticipated return of the Four Seasons brand will take place in the fall when a new 21-story, $120 million property will open near the Pike Place Market.
Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau is a non-profit economic development agency responsible for competitively marketing Seattle as a destination for meeting and convention groups and leisure travelers. Direct visitor spending benefits hotels, retailers, restaurants, attractions, transportation services and other businesses, and supports jobs for more than 63,000 people in the Seattle and the region.
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