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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 to 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

Thursday, May 21: Crisis Communication | Register Here

Join SWT for a tourism Skillshop at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 21, to discuss crisis communication. No destination community is immune to a crisis. This webinar will explore how tourism organizations and local governments can prepare coordinated communication plans to deliver timely, accurate, and transparent information. 

Brianna Francis, VP Communications & Strategy at Karsh Hagan | Madden Media, and Kristen Keltz, CEO of Skagit Tourism Bureau, will advise webinar attendees on crisis communications planning, including how to assess potential risks, identify key audiences, establish a crisis response team, align with partners, and set up communication channels. The webinar will also highlight the Crisis Communications Handbook developed by Destinations International and discuss crisis scenarios such as natural disasters, acts of violence, and social unrest.

Tourism Skillshops are free to attend. All webinars are recorded and shared with registrants and posted to SWT’s YouTube channel. For questions, please email Matthew Ozuna. Sign up for SWT’s Industry Update newsletter and follow SWT on LinkedIn to register for upcoming Skillshops. 

Past Webinars

Past webinar topics have covered everything from planning for agritourism in rural communities to dark sky tourism, as well as:

Browse All Recordings on SWT’s YouTube channel.

An example of a Skillshop can be viewed below.