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Industry News

New Tourism Report Indicates Slowing Visitation for State of Washington  

More Day Trips, Less Overnight Stays and International Arrivals Amid Global Political and Economic Headwinds  SEATTLE (May 1, 2026) – Figures released today by State of Washington Tourism (SWT) reveal that Washington State's visitor economy achieved only small gains driven by domestic day trips in 2025 while more lucrative overnight stays and international visitation declined and trailed national industry performance.     The annual Economic Impacts of Visitors in Washington State, compiled for SWT by national travel research firm Tourism Economics, was released today during National Travel and Tourism Week, May 3-9.    According to the report, total visitor expenditures increased just 0.9% to $25.3 billion in 2025, the smallest rate of growth since the post-pandemic recovery began. Visits to Washington held nearly flat at 111 million, a gain of only 0.1% over 2024. Growth was fueled entirely by the domestic day visitor market, masking declines in higher-value overnight and international segments.    Leisure visitation in Washington declined 0.8% in 2025, and its share of total international visitation fell from 2.2% to 1.9%.

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State Tourism Statistics Point to Moderate Growth, Room for More

SEATTLE, WA (May 6, 2025) – Figures released today by State of Washington Tourism (SWT) indicate modest growth in Washington State’s visitor volume, expenditures, tax receipts and employment in 2024, though adjusted for inflation, visitor spending has not yet surpassed 2019 levels. The annual Economic Impacts of Visitors in Washington State, compiled by national travel research firm Tourism Economics for SWT, was released today in advance of National Travel and Tourism Week, May 4-10.

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Snoqualmie Valley Selected for Rural Tourism Support Program

SEATTLE (June 1, 2024) – The Snoqualmie Valley will be the next regional destination to participate in the Rural Tourism Support (RTS) program from State of Washington Tourism (SWT). SnoValley Chamber of Commerce will play a leadership role in this program and help bring together local tourism stakeholders.

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2023 State Tourism Statistics Show Uneven Recovery, Opportunity to Drive Additional Revenue

Annual Impacts Report Released as National Travel & Tourism Week Begins SEATTLE (May 20, 2024) – Figures released today by State of Washington Tourism (SWT) indicate continued recovery in Washington State’s visitor volume, expenditures, tax receipts and employment in 2023, though the pace of recovery is uneven across the state and financial gains are undermined by inflation and have not kept pace with other states and employment growth.      The annual Economic Impacts of Visitors in Washington State, compiled for SWT by national travel research firm Tourism Economics, indicates that real spending, inflationary pressures and price increases continued to play a role in visitor spending growth in Washington last year.

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State of Washington Tourism to Administer $3.5M in EDA Grants for Tourism Recovery

Partnership with Department of Commerce spans 2 years Olympia, Wash. (December 4, 2023) — The Washington State Department of Commerce named State of Washington Tourism (SWT) to administer $3.5 million in Economic Development Administration (EDA) block grant funds to assist in tourism industry pandemic recovery after a competitive RFP process.  The destination planning and development grants will be dispersed through a competitive, needs-based grant program intended for Washington’s local, city, county and tribal governments, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and other nonprofit organizations involved with travel and tourism.

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