SEATTLE — More and more people want to visit Seattle.
According to the marketing organization Visit Seattle, 40 million visitors came to Seattle and King County in 2024.
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That’s a 5.3% increase from 2023, and up to 95% of visitor levels before the pandemic.
“What do they do? Kind of depends on what they are looking for, but really, what drives people to come and visit here is our proximity to nature. The ability to be in nature and also be in an urban center,” said Tammy Canavan of Visit Seattle.
Recently, 500 members of the local hospitality industry got together at the Seattle Convention Center to hear the latest visitor numbers and plan for the future.
“Our typical visitor is domestic. Most people are coming from the United States, though we do have a good contingent coming from international markets,” said Canavan.
According to Visit Seattle, the Emerald City and King County pulled in some big tourist bucks last year. We are told visitors spent $8.8 billion dollars, a 7.2% jump from 2023.
Last year, tourism supported more than 68,000 jobs in Seattle and King County – a 4.9% increase from 2023.
Beyond Seattle’s natural beauty, local tourism supporters say we have another special ingredient for visitors.
“Most importantly, we’re an incredibly welcoming city, so people can be comfortable in their own skin here,” said Canavan.
That’s Seattle’s secret for success: making money by making people feel welcome in our backyard.
