Message from the President & CEO
Including the cities of Des Moines, SeaTac, and Tukwila, Seattle Southside serves as the centrally located gateway to the entire region for practical travelers.
Our History
Learn about the history of the Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority.
Here’s how we got our start.
The road to Seattle Southside began in 1999 when Katherine Kertzman was hired as the Tukwila Tourism and Marketing Director. In 2002, after the successful "Think Tukwila" branding campaign, SeaTac created an agreement with Tukwila to jointly market the two cities as a region known as Seattle Southside. Des Moines came on board in 2006. Under the name of Seattle Southside Visitor Services, the organization marketed the region as a traveler’s ideal home base to explore the Pacific Northwest.
The name Seattle Southside was chosen to geographically align the destination with Seattle so potential visitors outside of a 50 mile radius would be able to identify the region. Through the support of focus groups and independent research firms it was determined to be the best name for the destination.
Funding for the program came from a portion of the cities’ lodging tax funds. The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee in each city directs the spending by making recommendations to the city councils regarding its use. This body was formed to implement legislation passed by the state legislature in 1997, which directs that one percent of city taxes collected on lodging be used to promote tourism. The committee, comprised of elected officials, half hoteliers and half other tourism venues, gives the local business community a great voice.
In 2014, Seattle Southside hoteliers petitioned the cities to create a self-assessed tourism promotion area fund to increase funding for tourism marketing and promotion. Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority was established in 2015.
More About Who We Are
Board of Directors & Committees
The SeaTac City Council appoints RTA board members from a pool of Tourism Promotion Area (TPA) ratepayer applicants.
Accolades & Affiliations
See the accolades, awards and affiliations of Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority.
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.
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.