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Research
Our staff has compiled a lot of data on the region and tourism industry. We are happy to provide you with details, reports and statistics.
Tourism's Economic Impact on our Community
Located 15-minutes south of the Seattle metropolitan area, the Seattle Southside is a PNW destination offering unique experiences including local meaderies, The Museum of Flight, outdoor recreation, and shopping.
- Travel spending in Seattle Southside increased 41.3% from $633.9million in 2021 to $896.1 million in 2022.
- Direct travel-generated employment grew to 4,820 jobs, a 17.8%increase over 2021.
- Direct travel-generated earnings increased to $281.8 million, a gain of28% compared to 2021.
- Tax receipts generated by travel spending increased to $119.4 million, up 33.1% compared to 2021.
- Overall, travel spending in Seattle Southside contributes $1,824 per resident household in local tax receipts.
For more data please see the 2022p Seattle Southside Travel Impacts study, prepared for Seattle Southside, that documents the economic significance of the travel industry in the Seattle Southside area of King County from 2015 through 2022.
Seattle Southside Location Based Data
More Data
WASHINGTON STATE VISITOR IMPACT
IN 2022, rising prices boosted average spending per visitor 16% to $216 per visitor to Washington. Overall, visitor expenditures increased 24% to $22.1 billion in 2022, 101.0% of 2019 levels nominally. However, due to the 14.5% rise in the national Consumer Price Index between 2019 and 2022, in real terms total visitor spending in 2022 amounted to just 86.3% of 2019 levels.
Last year the state’s visitor volume increased 7.3% to 102.2 million, still just 93% of 2019 levels. Visitation is largely dominated by domestic visitors (97.6% market share) while international visitation – representing strong growth potential for destinations with international air service – lags (2.4% of all visitors).
Direct state and local tax revenue increased 19.6% from 2021to $3.1 billion, down 1.4% relative to 2019. The total state and local taxes paid by visitors to Washington offset the average state household tax burden by $1,049 per year.
Comparatively, Washington’s recovery in visitor spending and tax generation rank among the five worst performing states in the nation, year-to-date through March 2023, according to Tourism Economics preliminary figures. Nationally, growth in visitor expenditures averages 4.3% compared to Washington’s -3%, and growth in visitor-generated tax revenue averages 3.8% nationally compared to Washington’s -2.8%. All competing western states have growth in both areas, some logging double-digit growth.
READ THE 2022 VISITOR IMPACT RESULTS
More About What We Do
Media Brand Kit
The Seattle Southside Brand Kit consists of the Explore Seattle Southside logo and brand standards guide for download.
Annual Reports
Seattle Southside by the numbers.
Strategic Plan
Working with local civic and business leaders, we’ve developed a strategic plan focusing on activities with the largest return on investment for attracting groups, tourists and business travelers to Seattle Southside.