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Tourism Skillshop

The Tourism Skillshop webinar series is one of many programs from State of Washington Tourism (SWT). Launched in April 2022, the Skillshop is a key component of industry advocacy and education for tourism stakeholders in Washington.

Each webinar highlights a specific issue or skill for tourism professionals to discuss with industry experts. SWT hosts these live webinars on the third or fourth Thursday of every month from 10 – 11 a.m.

These webinars are moderated by SWT’s Matthew Ozuna and are free and open to all tourism stakeholders. All skillshops are recorded and shared with registrants, as well as made available to view on the SWT YouTube channel.

Upcoming Webinars

Sept. 25: AI Chatbots for the Tourism Sector | Register Here

AI chatbots will be the focus of the next Tourism Skillshop webinar at 10 a.m. on Sept. 25. Chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly prevalent throughout the tourism sector and society. Their integration is reshaping how businesses operate, how travelers plan and experience trips, and how people interact with digital systems on a daily basis. 

Learn from Marina Petrova, the CEO and Co-Founder of Intentful, a technology company that enhances brand communication through AI-driven interactions, enabling real-time engagement between brands and consumers. She will provide an overview of AI assistants and their role in the tourism sector while addressing the challenges and opportunities for this technology in the years ahead. Webinar attendees will also hear from Elizabeth Tyler, VP of Marketing & Operations at the Skagit Tourism Bureau on how her destination organization selected Intentful for AI services and how these services enhance the consumer website and help the organization in other ways. 

Matthew Ozuna, destination development manager for SWT, will moderate the webinar. All webinars will be recorded, shared with registrants, and posted to the SWT YouTube channel. This program is free and open to all tourism stakeholders.

For questions, please email Matthew Ozuna. Sign up for the Industry Update newsletter and follow SWT on LinkedIn to register for upcoming Skillshops. 

Past Webinars

In 2024, SWT hosted nine webinars with a combined 565 registrants. Topics covered everything from planning for agritourism in rural communities to dark sky tourism. Other topics included:

Browse All Recordings

An example of a Skillshop can be viewed below.