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Washington State’s Tourism Sector Takes $3.8B Hit Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Figures released on Tuesday by the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) indicate that tourism in Washington State logged double digit growth during the past five years – generating $10.9 billion in direct state GDP in 2019 alone – before the industry’s near total shut down in 2020 due to COVID-19. WTA reports Washington State has experienced a dramatic decline in tourism in 2020 due to the global pandemic. In fact, since the beginning of March, visitor spending in Washington has declined by $3.8 billion compared with last year’s figures.
Traveler spending in Washington has averaged losses of 77% over the past 12 weeks. Hotel room revenue alone has declined 72% between March 1 and May 23. And in April alone, Seattle Tacoma International Airport experienced a decrease of 93.6% in passenger volume, compared with April 2019; international traffic decreased 97.1%, and domestic traffic decreased 93.1%.
WTA’s David Blandford says, “Our state’s tourism industry has been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. That impact was sudden and severe in every industry sector and immediately undercut funding for nonprofit destination marketing programs needed to jumpstart economic recovery and sustain jobs.”
For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Dennis Kaiser
- ◦Economy
