Seattle trying to do more with less in wooing tourists
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SEATTLE -- Coming off a record year for tourism in Seattle and King County, the bureau in charge of running convention business and tourism is putting new strategies in place to boost travel further both near and far.
Last year featured 10.2 million visitors to the area -- good for the second-best hotel occupancy on the west coast and netting $6 billion into Seattle and King County's economy.
Several major events helped bring in the tourists: The Space Needle turning 50, the opening of the Chihuly glass exhibit, King Tut coming to the Pacific Science Center and the arrival of the Space Shuttle trainer at the Museum of Flight.
We can also thank conventions and international travel.
"Overseas visitors from China, Japan -- all over Asia and plus what's happening in Europe has been a steady increase for Seattle," said Tom Norwalk, the CEO of Visit Seattle. "I think our Chinese business was up 35 percent."
But with no state tourism board -- shutdown in the recession -- the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau has just $16 million a year to promote the region. That's peanuts compared to California's $50 million and British Columbia spending $60 million.
"So there's more pressure on Visit Seattle to do a more comprehensive job to bring visitors in," Norwalk said.
To refocus its effort, the bureau changed its name to "Visit Seattle" and launched a new leisure strategy called "2 Days in Seattle". The idea is to get more travelers on the West Coast to Jet City.
Visit Seattle hopes that means more state funding will kick in to help. Norwalk says Seattle is more popular but still has a stigma to overcome.
"I think there is an element of unfamiliarity about where we are geographically, what the weather's like," Norwalk said. "Blankets in February don't really help."
Other issues posing a challenge are high gas prices and even the budget sequester that could negatively impact travel this year.
But another ray of sunshine is that Seattle and King County area turning away more convention business because it's booking all it can handle.
Last year featured 10.2 million visitors to the area -- good for the second-best hotel occupancy on the west coast and netting $6 billion into Seattle and King County's economy.
Several major events helped bring in the tourists: The Space Needle turning 50, the opening of the Chihuly glass exhibit, King Tut coming to the Pacific Science Center and the arrival of the Space Shuttle trainer at the Museum of Flight.
We can also thank conventions and international travel.
"Overseas visitors from China, Japan -- all over Asia and plus what's happening in Europe has been a steady increase for Seattle," said Tom Norwalk, the CEO of Visit Seattle. "I think our Chinese business was up 35 percent."
But with no state tourism board -- shutdown in the recession -- the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau has just $16 million a year to promote the region. That's peanuts compared to California's $50 million and British Columbia spending $60 million.
"So there's more pressure on Visit Seattle to do a more comprehensive job to bring visitors in," Norwalk said.
To refocus its effort, the bureau changed its name to "Visit Seattle" and launched a new leisure strategy called "2 Days in Seattle". The idea is to get more travelers on the West Coast to Jet City.
Visit Seattle hopes that means more state funding will kick in to help. Norwalk says Seattle is more popular but still has a stigma to overcome.
"I think there is an element of unfamiliarity about where we are geographically, what the weather's like," Norwalk said. "Blankets in February don't really help."
Other issues posing a challenge are high gas prices and even the budget sequester that could negatively impact travel this year.
But another ray of sunshine is that Seattle and King County area turning away more convention business because it's booking all it can handle.
@komonews we have tremendous pop culture history. Create some self-guided culture tour guides (music, tv, shows) for the website.
@komonews We should remind people it's great and overcast and rainy in Seattle almost all the time - they will come in droves!
@komonews Place an order for more sunshine!
Seattle you want to woo tourists... how about you offer this thing called FREE PARKING
@komonews we just legalized pot, what more do the tourists want?! :)
@bmvaughn replace teriyaki shops with pot bistros
It might not hurt to give breaks to Hollywood to film up here.
Hollywood is full of Liberals that want higher taxes. Why would they ever want to pay less when we are in such dire need?
@Unsalvageable No one really "wants" higher taxes, but some people are grown-ups that realize that there is no free lunch and that somebaody has to pay for the services we all receive.
@Unsalvageable You are protected by our military (highest cost of any item in the US budget), you drive on the roads, your food is safe to eat (at least there is some testing to try to keep it from being tainted), your water is safe to drink, you have police and fire protection, you probably received a public school education. When you do fly. there are air traffic controllers to help prevent planes from crashing into each other and there is an airport to land at, drugs you take have been tested to make sure there is some chance they are effective, and research has lead to cures for many diseases. No we don't all receive exactly the same services, but we have all benefitted to some extent from government programs. The budget is out of wack primarily because of wars and we owe to pay for them whether we personally wanted them or not.Â
Funny, I don't recieve welfare, food stamps, or free medical...but I pay for it.
I don't ride the buses or the sounder...but I pay for it.
I certainly don't get to fly around in Air Force One or go play golf whenever I feel like it...but I pay for that too.
I will have to say that NO, we don't all recieve the "services" that we pay for.Â
@Chickadee @Unsalvageable That's funny, a lot of those same people who "realize that there is no free lunch" are the same ones who want to extend welfare, unemployment, food stamps, subsidized housing, ect...
One great way to attract more tourists is to get Seattle listed in Liberal publications as the most bum, druggie, drunk, street criminal, crazies, transient and pan handling UNFRIENDLY city in America. Believe me people are getting very sick of being excluded from areas of their city by criminal scum and crazies subsidized by failed Liberal policies.
@Goodwin Every major U.S. metropolitan area has similar problems.
Tolling on I-90 doesn't help tourism either...
http://www.notolloni90.org/
@komosux People in many other parts of the country are used to toll roads. I doubt that spending a few bucks crossing a bridge here and there will be a deal breaker when they are planning a vacation.
I would assume "Visit Seattle" is some sort of NPO comprised of various business owners that have profited from this bustling business increase. If this is the case why are they waiting for state funding to kick in? I realize that all of us business owners pay taxes and fees, but I have never expected the state to pay for my market costs...and isn't that what they are asking for?
That was going to be my point until I scrolled down and saw yours. Plenty of business that benefit from tourism. Maybe it's time to pass the hat.
I suppose...there are a lot of businesses out there that don't understand, in order to make money they have to spend some..... It is known as the cost of doing business.
@aintno1special There you go again.... making sense...Â
@Funky-Munky @aintno1special Sorry I'll try to correct that problem.