PRESS RELEASE

Visit Seattle Celebrates 2024 Visitation Growth, Releases New Visitor Profiles at Annual Meeting

2024 visitation data shows positive progress as headwinds present new challenges

SEATTLE – Visit Seattle, the official destination marketing organization for Seattle and King County, released new data at its Annual Meeting today showing continued growth in visitor numbers. Held during National Travel and Tourism Week, over 500 members of the local hospitality community gathered downtown at the Seattle Convention Center’s Arch building to learn about the organization’s accomplishments in 2024 and plans for 2025, the year before the destination welcomes an estimated 750,000 visitors for the FIFA World Cup 2026™.

Visit Seattle’s 2024 data shows that:

• A total of 40 million visitors came to Seattle and King County, a 5.3% increase from 2023, reaching 95% of 2019 levels
• Those visitors spent $8.8 billion, a 7.2% increase from 2023 and 8.0% increase from 2019
• Tourism in Seattle and King County generated $12.3 billion in total , including visitor spending and indirect impacts, a 7.8% increase from 2023 and 5.3% increase from 2019
• Visitor spending generated $839 million in state and local taxes, a 6.2% increase from 2023 and 0.2% increase from 2019
• That amounts to a tax offset of $904 for each household in King County, a 5.2% increase from 2023, reaching 94% of 2019 levels
• Tourism supported 68,089 jobs in Seattle and King County, a 4.9% increase from 2023, reaching 85% of 2019 levels

A graphic of this data is available here, and you can see more data from Visit Seattle here.

Visitor Profiles

Visit Seattle released visitor profiles for the first time at its Annual Meeting. These profiles feature key details about the destination’s domestic leisure visitors in 2024, which represent a large portion of overall visitors. Details include visitor origin, spending categories, purpose of trip, transportation types, and more. This information can help businesses and community stakeholders more effectively welcome this robust sector of the local economy.

International Data

While 2024 international visitation data for Seattle and King County will not be finalized until the fall of 2025, Visit Seattle shared preliminary international visitation data estimates in conjunction with its Annual Meeting. Canada is once again the top international market for Seattle and King County, with more than 1.7 million Canadians estimated to have visited in 2024, accounting for 4.3% of the region’s total visitors. Canadians were estimated to have spent $584 million in Seattle and King County in 2024, accounting for 6.6% of the region’s total visitor spending.

“At a time of uncertainty for international markets, our team is closely monitoring sentiment and opportunity, and ensuring we are nimble in our approach and response,” said Tammy Canavan, President and CEO of Visit Seattle. “We have established bi-weekly communication to our stakeholders to share market intelligence, and are ensuring we invest resources wisely to ensure maximum possible impact for our community.  Conventions and business events as well as the cruise, domestic, and Asian leisure markets all show great promise for Seattle and King County.”

Marketing and Engagement

Visit Seattle team members celebrated a new mobile app and accessibility webpage at the Annual Meeting. They also previewed an upcoming AI tool and new marketing strategy, giving attendees an exclusive sneak peek of a brand campaign launching later this year.

“We’re being intentional about highlighting aspects of our destination visitors can truly only experience here: Seattle’s abundant nature, culinary options, compact downtown, and flexible meeting spaces,” said Visit Seattle SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Byington. “We’ve also leaned into data to evolve our marketing strategy so that every decision is guided by what we know about Seattle visitors, and the would-be visitors we’re inviting to our corner of the world.”

The Visit Seattle team also discussed preparations for launching the Seattle Certified Tourism Ambassador program™ later this year, which will help the local hospitality community share consistent destination knowledge and best welcome visitors ahead of large events like the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ and FIFA World Cup 2026™.

World Cup Preparation

With Visit Seattle’s Annual Meeting occurring just over a year before the FIFA World Cup 2026™, which is projected to bring the destination $929 million in total economic impact in 2026 and unmatched long-term opportunity, leaders addressed the organization’s ongoing preparation for the opportunities ahead.

“Seattle is an incredible sports destination, and this is the crown jewel of opportunities to showcase it,” said Visit Seattle SVP and Chief Sales Officer Kelly Saling. “We have a super dedicated fan culture, an awesome stadium adjacent to our stunning waterfront, vibrant surrounding neighborhoods, and regional infrastructure that allows visitors to explore with ease. We’re seizing this opportunity to capture interest from all over the globe, not just through the visitors who come here, but through the millions of people who will see our gorgeous city while watching the matches. We invite the world to experience Seattle.”

About Visit Seattle:

Visit Seattle has served as the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Seattle and King County for more than 50 years. A 501(c)(6) organization, Visit Seattle enhances the economic prosperity of the region through global destination branding along with competitive programs and campaigns in leisure travel marketing, convention sales, and overseas tourism development. Visit visitseattle.org.