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.

This strategic plan spans more than six years and gives us and our partners the ability to attract, strengthen and more effectively promote activities that will best drive more local, regional, national and international visitors to the Seattle Southside region. It’s our fiduciary duty to promote the region to travelers and to report our results. Find out how we plan on accomplishing this with success in “Destination 2020.”

View the Strategic Plan: Destination 2020

Goals

These goals are the core mission of Seattle Southside RTA:

  1. Increase the number of tourists and groups coming to Seattle Southside, with an emphasis on shoulder season. The shoulder season includes dates in the spring and fall on each side of the summer visitor season—October to May. (2015: 3.85 million overnight visitors total*)
  2. Increase the average length of stay. (2014: 3.4 days**; 2015: 2.4 days*)
  3. Increase visitor spending at businesses in the cities of SeaTac, Tukwila and Des Moines. (2015: $665.2 million in travel spending*)
  4. Demonstrate an increase in the RTA’s return on investment. (2015: $1/$21.41)

Strategies

The “Destination 2020” Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority (RTA) Strategic Plan’s five focus areas are:

  1. Own the region. Build toward being the destination that visitors and groups know and prefer for accessing everything the Seattle region has to offer, emphasizing the experiences within Seattle Southside.
  2. Drive value and results through leadership excellence. Be the catalyst for bringing partners together to meet the RTA’s goals.
  3. Build destination experiences. Create and build on existing experiences to create critical mass and reasons to visit.
  4. Encourage easy connections to and within Seattle Southside and regional destinations, including light rail, shuttles, tours and more.
  5. Create a participatory sports focus. Recruit and leverage sports-related experiences so as to be known as the place for active sports fun.

The Promise: Do more.

You can do more when you visit Seattle Southside because its location, transportation, affordability and unique attractions stretch your time, money and opportunities further. The Promise is what the RTA will help the Seattle Southside region deliver and what we want to emphasize as the region’s unique differentiator to visitors.

*2015 Dean Runyan Report
**2014 H2R Conversion Study

About Us We’re here to help visitors create memorable experiences. Memories that translate to repeat visits, tax savings… Learn More
Who We Are Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority (RTA) is the official destination marketing organization for Seattle's Southside including… Learn More
What We Do Seattle Southside RTA is a national award–winning destination marketing organization. We believe that the best way… Learn More
Message from the President & CEO Including the cities of Des Moines, SeaTac, and Tukwila, Seattle Southside serves as the centrally located… Learn More
Accolades & Affiliations See the accolades, awards and affiliations of Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority. Learn More
Board of Directors & Committees The SeaTac City Council appoints RTA board members from a pool of Tourism Promotion Area (TPA)… Learn More
Meeting Minutes & Schedule Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority is dedicated to upholding the principles and ethics detailed in the… Learn More

More About Who We Are

Careers

There’s opportunity in Seattle Southside. As a Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority employee, you’ll enjoy competitive pay, benefits packages, generous leave programs and the satisfaction of doing work that helps make Seattle Southside a great place to stay, play, eat and explore.

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