Tourism/Visitors Cluster

The Tourism/Visitors cluster includes hospitality, culinary and recreation industries, such as hotels, restaurants, spas, guided tours, sports, and cultural centers. It is the largest cluster employer in the region, providing jobs at a range of skill levels for 95,500 people in the Puget Sound region.

A 2002 study on Washington’s tourism industry revealed that travel spending generates an estimated $760 million in state and local tax revenues annually, and King, Pierce, and Snohomish are the top 3 counties for travel spending in the state. The large workforce employed by this cluster, and training programs, such as South Seattle Community College’s top ranked Culinary Arts Program, give this cluster significant growth potential.

2010 Action Items

Action Initiative	Action Initiative Area	Organization
Create a unified "Puget Sound Destination Experience" by aligning promotional packages.	Tourism & Visitors	Prosperity Partnership Tourism & Visitors Working Group
Authorize the Washington State Convention and Trade Center to take the next steps toward planning and development of an expanded facility.	Tourism & Visitors	Governor Gregoire / Washington State Legislature
Create the organizational capacity and implementation strategy for an event that celebrates our region as the epicenter of the global health industry.	Life Sciences / Tourism & Visitors	Global Health Nexus Seattle / Prosperity Partnership Tourism & Visitors Working Group
Encourage the implementation of the Survey of International Visitors report recommendations on ensuring that our region better accommodates international visitors.	Logistics and International Trade / Tourism & Visitors	Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle / Prosperity Partnership Tourism & Visitors Working Group

What’s New: Convention Center Expansion Takes Important Step Forward
One of the four goals of the Prosperity Partnership's Tourism Industry Cluster Development Strategy was the expansion of the Washington State Convention Center. In order to stay competitive with other convention centers around the country, and to accommodate the increasing size of existing convention customers, the Convention Center has been pursuing a plan to double its exhibit space, using existing revenues and debt capacity. As an economic development tool, the expansion will bring significant jobs and economic impact to the region.

Thanks to the efforts of a broad coalition of public and private stakeholders during the recent legislative session in Olympia, the Convention Center is now transitioning to a more independent entity to pursue this goal. As a Public Facilities District, the Convention Center will stand on its own as a municipal corporation allowing for much greater control over its financial reserves and cash flow. The Convention Center's next step is to begin the tactical process of assessing the region's tourism industry trends and forecasts. Once its financial situation is strategically assessed, the Center will begin again to look at the goal of a future expansion.

Cluster Strategy Development Background
In 2008, to target its work in supporting the tourism and visitors cluster, the Prosperity Partnership formed a Tourism/Visitors Cluster Strategy Development Working Group tasked with identifying specific action initiatives to be implemented. A special thanks goes to the co-chairs of that working group:

   Bob Aylward, Executive Vice President for Business Operations
   Seattle Mariners
   www.mariners.com

   Carla Murray, Senior Vice President of Operations, West Region
   Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
   www.starwoodhotels.com

Read the Tourism/Visitors Industry Cluster Strategy.


Contact
For more information, contact Eric Schinfeld, 206-971-3053.