2017 Tourism Impact Report

TRAVEL TACOMA PIERCE COUNTY TOURISM IMPACT REPORT ONE DESTINATION. ONE VOICE.

Travel Tacoma + Pierce County is the organization responsible for promoting this region as a destination for meetings, group tours and leisure travel. Through sales and marketing campaigns and programs, and in cooperation with local businesses, partners and communities; Travel Tacoma connects incoming visitors and meeting attendees with the hotels, restaurants, activities and attractions throughout Pierce County that are right for them. By doing this, we increase overnight stays, maximize visitor expenditures and enhance the overall visitor experience in Pierce County.

3 The Home Course - DuPont

Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

CONTENTS Role of a DMO + Team Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 A Message from President + CEO - Bennish Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Through the Visitors’ Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Around the County’s Tourism Community.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Activities on your behalf in 2017. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

By The Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Board of Directors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT

MISSION STATEMENT: TO DELIVER TOURISM TO PIERCE COUNTY

TEAM VALUES

Destination marketing organizations [DMO] serve as the focal point of the tourism communities they represent with the goal of enhancing the long-term competitiveness of their cities. Travel Tacoma + Pierce County, a private, nonprofit destination marketing organization, has served as Pierce County’s official DMO for nearly 30 years. The goals of these marketing efforts are to improve the visitor experience and enhance economic prosperity by bringing meetings and visitors to the region.

ACCOUNTABILITY We hold ourselves accountable to each other and our community.

COLLABORATION We actively collaborate with our strongest resources – each other, our community and our destination.

CREATIVITY We strive to be creative dreamers who are not satisfied with following the crowd, and will have fun as we work outside the box.

INNOVATION We don’t accept the status quo but look to what will come, or what can come next.

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT

ROLE OF THE DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATION

VISITOR FIRST We will always consider the primary reason we exist – to be a resource and voice for the visitor.

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY: A LOOK AT THE NORTHWEST UNFILTERED ONE DESTINATION. ONE VOICE.

Dear Tourism Partners, Over the past few years, we’ve all watched Pierce County evolve as one destination. It’s a destination that contains several communities, each with its own unique identity and set of experiences to offer visitors.

In 2017, you told us what sets your cities and regions apart, and based on your ideas, stories and input, we rebooted the Travel Tacoma + Pierce County brand as the Northwest Unfiltered. We then refined and distilled those perspectives into an anthem (see page 35). The Northwest Unfiltered is a reflection of each city, tourismfacing business and organization in Pierce County, and we invite you to get acquainted and join us in sharing it.

2017 was also a year where Pierce County laid the foundation for important things to come. It was literally a groundbreaking year.

Developers started to address the county’s hotel inventory shortage, as several hotels broke ground or entered the advanced planning stages. Home 2 Suites and Fairfield Inn & Suites opened in DuPont, while TownePlace Suites opened and Comfort Inn broke ground in Lakewood. Work started on both the Marriott Tacoma Convention Center Hotel and McMenamins Elks Lodge property in Tacoma.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Other tourism assets also made big leaps: Ocean5, a massive recreation complex, neared completion in Gig Harbor, while the Pacific Seas Aquarium, Wilson Way multi-use bridge in Point Defiance Park and Tacoma Art Museum’s Benaroya Wing expansion all moved toward 2018 opening dates in Tacoma.

But while we set the stage, we also set records.

County-wide, hotels enjoyed both their best year to date, as well as an unprecedented consistency. We saw the fifth consecutive year of growth in every major metric: occupancy, average daily rate, revenue per available room, demand and overall revenue.

Visitor metrics were also up, with more visitor spending, more local and state tax receipts and more tourismsector job creation. The economic engine of tourism was going strong, and Travel Tacoma worked hard to keep it that way. Our organization kept a steady drumbeat of attention on our destination with a full calendar of campaigns and events. We expanded our fall marketing campaign into San Francisco for the first time, and our sales team filled Pierce County venues with more than 250 events that generated 34,000 room nights.

With 2017’s successes still fresh in mind and 2018 already off to a very strong start, we invite you to join your voice to ours as one destination in Pierce County, and we welcome you to the Northwest Unfiltered.

BENNISH BROWN President + CEO Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

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WE ASKED SOME PEOPLE VISITING PIERCE COUNTY FOR THE FIRST TIME WHAT THEIR IMPRESSIONS WERE ABOUT THE DESTINATION. HERE’S WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY:

Lucas Murray, first-time visitor:

“The people here are so nice. We were at a bar getting beers, and the bartender came out from behind the bar and talked to us a little bit, asked us how we were and took our drink orders. That would never happen in California…It seems like the community is interested in doing things for itself and investing in itself. I don’t see that same level of investment in other places.”

King’s Books - Tacoma

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Flash Parker, travel journalist:

“What surprised me most about my time here is just how authentic and unique the culture in Tacoma is. It feels a world away from other cities in the Pacific Northwest, and people are extremely proud of the history and that culture. It shines through with every business and organization and outfit that we’ve been to. It feels very much like Portland, without being rude about it. You can ask for things and order things without being hipsterfied right out the door. ‘‘

Harmon Tap Room - Tacoma

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Tinkertopia - Tacoma Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

“The people are really just friendly. Maybe it’s a West Coast thing, but people are willing to talk to you. They’ll sit down and tell you the history of a store, or the brewery. Everyone wanted you to experience what they lived every day. And for you to know that, and bring that back to attendees, I think that’s the most important thing.”

“LIVED EVERY DAY.

“

Alana Alissa Yoshiko Anderson, meeting planner:

EVERYONE WANTED YOU TO EXPERIENCE WHAT THEY

Alana Alissa Yoshiko Anderson, meeting planner

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TRAVEL TACOMA +PIERCE COUNTY AROUND THE COUNTY’S TOURISM COMMUNITY

TOURISM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS

DUPONT AND LAKEWOOD HOTELS ADD CAPACITY TO PIERCE COUNTY’S HOTEL COMMUNITY

DuPont’s Home2 Suites by Hilton opened for business in June, featuring 140 suites located near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, as well as DuPont’s extensive network of hiking trails and the area’s USGA Championship golf courses. Fairfield Inn & Suites also opened in DuPont in March, with an additional 88 rooms.

Further north, in Lakewood, TownePlace Suites began operation in December with 120 total guestrooms, Woodspring Suites purchased land for a future extended-stay property and Comfort Inn broke ground on a new development.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

GIG HARBOR BECOMES EVEN MORE WELCOMING

The waterfront village of Gig Harbor has always been welcoming, and Skansie Brothers Park, with a public dock located right along the waterfront, has long been the city’s centerpiece for visitors. In May, the city opened its new Welcome Plaza, a two-story educational and recreational facility that serves locals, visitors and visiting boaters, as well as providing unparalleled views of the harbor from the top-floor picnic area. The new welcome plaza hosted Minor League baseball VIPs and Travel Tacoma hosted social media influencers there this year.

TACOMA TOWN CENTER BREAKS GROUND

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

Construction is underway on Tacoma Town Center, a $125 million retail/residential addition to the Historic Brewery District – one of Tacoma’s fastest-developing destination neighborhoods. The completed project will add shopping and recreation options for visitors and residents, and developers are looking at a small movie theater or grocery store to be the anchor tenant.

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TOURISM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS MARRIOTT TACOMA CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL BREAKS GROUND The highly anticipated downtown Tacoma hotel connected to the Greater Tacoma Convention Center broke ground in a multicultural ceremony on August 8. The 22-story, 303-room project is expected to open in the spring of 2020 and feature a 10,000-square-foot ballroom and 9,000 square feet of breakout space. With the addition of these new walkable guestrooms, Tacoma will be able to compete for larger meetings and conferences, which in turn generates more revenue and economic impact for Pierce County.

Work began in November on the long-awaited and much anticipated Elks Lodge property, which McMenamins is overhauling to become a 44-room hotel, with three restaurants on the premises featuring food sourced from on-site seasonal gardens, as well as a McMenamins brewery, space for live music, events, weddings and meetings. The property is expected to open in early 2019.

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

WORK BEGINS AT MCMENAMINS ELKS LODGE

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TOURISM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS

JBLM CELEBRATES ITS CENTENNIAL

In July, the biggest names in the PCL and International League took the field at Cheney Stadium for the nationally televised Triple-A All-Star Game. It was the first time the all-star game had been hosted in Tacoma, and events associated with the game, including the Home Run Derby and media day, spread the impact over the week of July 10. Travel Tacoma aired two destination commercials during MLB Network’s coverage of the event.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

TRIPLE-A ALL-STAR GAME TAKES THE FIELD AT CHENEY STADIUM

Camp Lewis, opened in 1918, has come a long way.

Celebrating its 100th year of operation in August with events centered around the Lewis Army Museum, the base is not only the military’s largest operational joint base – home to 40,000 military personnel and 60,000 family members – but also its most requested duty station. Travel Tacoma joined in the celebration by having TIMBR, our mobile VIC, available to showcase Pierce County attractions.

PIERCE COUNTY LIVES LIKE THE MOUNTAIN IS OUT

South Sound Together unveiled their Live Like the Mountain Is Out campaign with a marketing campaign that included paid advertisements, banners, murals and even a guerrilla element where anonymous chalk stencil art was left on sidewalks around Pierce County. A partnership of local businesses and organizations, South Sound Together seeks to unite the community to share positive stories about living, doing business in and visiting the South Puget Sound.

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

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TOURISM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS

PROMOTING OUR CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF DESTINATIONS Travel Tacoma sent targeted emails to 45,000 golf enthusiasts in Oregon, California and Western Washington and featured Pierce County golf courses on Golf in the Northwest’s website and printed materials.

The team attended the 2017 Conference for the International Association of Golf Tour Operators where they had one-on-one meetings with 30 individual tour operators. There the team also built interest in the 2018 golf tour operator familiarization tour -which filled up in record time.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

MOUNT RAINIER WELCOMES MOST VISITORS IN TWO DECADES

One of Pierce County’s most recognizable icons as well as one of its most popular visitor attractions, Mount Rainier National Park welcomed 1,415,867 visitors in 2017, giving it the highest annual visitation since 1994. Responding to the calls for visitors to help traffic decongestion efforts around peak visitation days, visitors arriving by bus skyrocketed 56 percent over 2016.

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

20 Eagles Pride Golf Course

TOURISM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS

FESTIVAL OF SAIL DOCKS IN TACOMA 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Families and boat lovers crowded the Tacoma waterfront in June for the arrival of more than a dozen historic tall ships that were part of the Festival of Sail. Led in the parade by Mama Duck, the largest rubber duck in the world, the ships hosted on-board tours and events. Live music, food trucks and vendors entertained the tens of thousands of visitors who attended the festival throughout the weekend. Travel Tacoma worked with the production company to build out of state promotions and inform the local business community.

NEW RESOURCES SMOOTH CONNECTIONS BETWEEN TACOMA ATTRACTIONS

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

A pilot run of a trolley route connecting downtown Tacoma to Point Defiance along the Ruston Way Waterfront during the summer was well received, ensuring that the route would run again in 2018.

While the trolley operated, visitors could get from the museums and restaurants in downtown Tacoma, explore the waterfront parks and dining spots, and visit the attractions at Point Defiance, all without needing a vehicle. Travel Tacoma worked with partners to develop, launch and promote the line. For pedestrians, the Prairie Line Trail, a walking path lined with art installations and historical markers, also opened in 2017, and connects downtown Tacoma to the waterfront.

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TOURISM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS GARTH BROOKS BRINGS BIG MUSIC, BIG NUMBERS TO DOWNTOWN TACOMA

Garth Brooks blew into town in a big way, selling more than 100,000 tickets for five shows in three days at the Tacoma Dome. The city rolled out the red carpet, mounting a custom flag atop the Dome and creating a welcome video for his legions of fans, approximately half of whom arrived from outside the Puget Sound area, from as far away as Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii and Canada. Travel Tacoma held a social media giveaway campaign to raise awareness of the concert outside the immediate area, and developed a website and ad campaign to show Garth fans dining and overnight options near the Tacoma Dome.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

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Garth Brooks live at Tacoma Dome Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

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TOURISM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS

CONVENTION CENTER UNVEILS NEW BRAND, TAGLINE, NAME The Greater Tacoma Convention Center (formerly Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center) unveiled its new brand, tagline and abbreviated name. While the world-class convention facility didn’t change, its address became 1500 Commerce Street and announced a new logo and tagline – “Something Greater.”

A new aesthetic came with the rebranding, with new brand colors of sea-glass blue and green reflecting the region’s rich heritage for studio glass art.

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON TAM EXPANSION

Mobility Guardian in July was the largest scale exercise in the USAF’s Air Mobility Command history, with more than 100 sorties launching daily. More than 3,000 military personnel from 25 countries gathered at JBLM for the exercises, which filled hotels in all the surrounding communities. County-wide, occupancy rates were far above 90% and the base communities of Lakewood and DuPont, saw a 53% bump in revenue for the week of Air Mobility Guardian.

Travel Tacoma worked with coordinators and hotels, providing room blocks and travel information, to ensure the visiting foreign and domestic service personnel had recreation options available throughout Pierce County.

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In July, construction began on Tacoma Art Museum’s second expansion in four years. The 7,400-square-foot wing is being added to house TAM’s new Benaroya Collection, the gift of Jack and Becky Benaroya. The collection – featuring 225 works from artists such as Dale Chihuly, Sonja Blomdahl, Lino Tagliapietra, William Morris, Flora C. Mace and others – will make TAM one of the most important museums for studio glass art in the country. Travel Tacoma is working with travel writers to promote this new tourism asset.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord Air-Base Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

MOBILITY GUARDIAN TAKES TO THE SKIES OVER JBLM

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2017 DESTINATION RECOGNITION AND ACCOLADES Safest Cities in America For Women (Tacoma) Security Choice

»

Most Hipster Cities in the United States – MoveHub.com

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North America’s Coolest Downtowns – Expedia Viewfinder

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Top 10 Digital Cities in the U.S. – Center for Digital Government

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Best Destinations for Meetings Up to 1,000 people – MeetingSource.com

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Top 10 Best Harbors in America (Gig Harbor) – Coastal Living Magazine

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One of the Safest Cities In Washington (DuPont) - National Council for Home Safety and Security

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Best of the Burbs (Sumner) – Seattle Magazine

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Best Places to Retire (Lakewood + Puyallup) – Where to Retire Magazine

PLATINUM CHOICE AWARD SMART MEETINGS MAGAZINE

Travel Tacoma + Pierce County was the only Washington destination-marketing organization to receive a 2017 Platinum Choice Award from Smart Meetings magazine, having “demonstrated exemplary standards of excellence ranging from ambience, amenities, breadth of resources, facility quality, guest services, meeting space and packages, recreational activities, restaurant and dining options, and technical support.”

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

»

TRAVEL TACOMA ACCOLADES

MeetingSource.com

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

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TRAVEL TACOMA +PIERCE COUNTY ACTIVITIES ON YOUR BEHALF IN 2017

ACTIVITIES ON YOUR BEHALF SALES ACTIVITIES

ASAE ANNUAL MEETING

The Travel Tacoma + Pierce County sales team traveled around the country, representing the county’s tourism community to meeting planners at more than 20 events and one-on-one meetings.

CANADA QUEBEC

NORTH DAKOTA

WISCONS IN

H DA

ING

MINNESOTA

KOTA

ADA NEV

NEB RAS KA

COL DO ORA

IF CAL IA ORN ARIZONA

PENNSYLVANIA

ILLINOIS

MIS

AH

NEW MEXICO

OM

A

S OU RI

KENTUCKY

ARKANSAS

NEW JERSEY

E

MARYLAND

VIRGINIA NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH CAROLINA

A AN

ISI

IPPI SISS

GEORGIA

SALES ACTIVITY LOCATIONS TRAVELED IN 2017 LOCATIONS TRAVELED IN 2013-2016

TRAVEL TACOMA RECOGNIZED FOR CREATIVE BOOTH AT IMEX

The team represented Tacoma + Pierce County at more than fifteen events around the country in an ambitious cycle to nurture relationships, educate about our destination, create opportunity and convert definite bookings. IMEX is the largest event Travel Tacoma participated in in 2017 with 3,200 planners. Many of these planners engaged at our oxygen bar which brought the Northwest’s freshness to Las Vegas, and which got Travel Tacoma’s booth recognized as one of the best designed at the show by Destination Counsellors International.

A few new events to highlight are the Washington DC Planner Education Luncheon with 20 east coast planners sponsored

by Travel Tacoma and the holiday themed Olympia event that brought more than 15 local planners together.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

MIS

ALA BAM A

NEW HAMPSHIRE MASSACHUSETTS RHODE ISLAND CONNECTICUT

DELAWARE

INDIANA OHIO

TENNESSE

U LO

TEXAS

NEW YORK

TORONTO

IOWA

KA NS AS OKL

MICHIGA N

W VIR EST GIN IA

WY OM

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Travel Tacoma partnered with the Hotel Murano, Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Tacoma and Area 253 Glassblowing Studio to showcase Pierce County at the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting held in Toronto, Canada. This is a premier event with more than 2,700 association executives that gather to network with and shop for meeting-site destinations.

Glass art was the theme of this year’s booth, with a gallery-like display of work from Tacoma artists, and Tacoma based glassblower Patrick Cahill there to share the art of glassblowing. Attendees were highly engaged with the booth and the outcomes were as hoped for: developed relationships, created opportunities, and generated familiarization tours for potential future bookings

SOLAR ECLIPSE

TIMBR

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County’s Team Ask253 street team unveiled a brand-new, custom-built bike-and-cart tricycle that has been dubbed TIMBR - Tacoma + Pierce County Informational Mobile Bike Resource. The person-powered visitor information tricycle carries brochures, a Polaroid camera, Pierce County themed swag and a giant umbrella to events, festivals and highly trafficked areas for visitors throughout Pierce County, including SUMMERFest, Hudson Bay Heritage Days, and Rhubarb Days to name a few.

Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

During the solar eclipse in August, Pierce County was both an excellent place to view the eclipse (94 percent of totality) and a great place to stop for an afternoon or a night on the way down to Oregon for people wanting to see the eclipse in totality. Travel Tacoma + Pierce County created webpages targeting both groups, with local offers and eclipse events. Through social media and search engine marketing, the pages garnered tens of thousands of views in the days surrounding the eclipse and directed thousands of visitors to viewing events and parties around Pierce County.

EAST COAST SALES MISSION + DC AREA CLIENT EVENT

The East Coast Sales Mission successfully connected us with planners in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Washington DC. The team completed sales calls, provided destination presentations, delivered destination awareness kits and provided event servicing support during this trip. On the last night, Travel Tacoma entertained, networked, educated and connected with more than 20 planners at its fourth annual DC Area Client Event. These planners represent close to a hundred events held annually.

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ACTIVITIES ON YOUR BEHALF FALL CAMPAIGN EXPANDS TO THE BAY AREA

Travel Tacoma + Pierce County’s annual fall campaign expanded beyond the Portland market in 2017 to include the San Francisco Bay Area as well. With radio spots and digital ad blitz, combined with in-market events, the marketing team put Pierce County on the radar of travelers in two of our biggest markets and a 181% increase in website traffic from the San Francisco Metro area. This campaign led to increased market share from Portland and San Francisco.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE NORTHWEST TOUR

Travel Tacoma hosted 25 active tour operators, showcasing our destination. The operators visited Northwest Trek, the Tacoma Museum District, Tacoma Theater District, and the Gig Harbor waterfront.

(source: Nsight for Travel)

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

INSTAFAM 2.0

Building on the success of last year’s social media influencer familiarization tour of Pierce County, 2017 saw Travel Tacoma bring in another group of influencers from Portland and San Francisco. They snapped, posted and shared with their followers their trip through Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, University Place and Mount Rainier, generating hundreds of thousands of likes and comments in the process.

NEW YORK MEDIA MISSION

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

Travel Tacoma + Pierce County partnered with Bellingham Tourism and San Juan Islands Visitor Bureau on a media mission to New York City, pitching our destinations to editors from prominent monthly magazines, newspapers and travel blogs. The contacts made have already generated a story that included Mount Rainier in U.S. News and World Reports, with more stories in the works.

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ACTIVITIES ON YOUR BEHALF MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS, BY THE NUMBERS

Future Business Booked in 2017: • 34,176 Projected Room Nights • $28.9 MILLION Estimated Economic Impact

ning waterfront stun

Gig Harbor

ums + Entertainment Muse

Tacoma Sumner Lakewood

Fife

Americana

DuPont

Puyallup Mt. Rainier

Adventureland

2,500 Meeting Planner Guides distributed 125,000 Visitor Guides distributed

FINDING OUR VOICE In 2017, Travel Tacoma + Pierce County asked the tourism community to help guide a “brand reboot.”

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

+ Gardens Golf

We held five sessions throughout Pierce County to hear directly from city officials, hotels, restaurants, attractions, tour operators, and other tourism industry stakeholders about what made their region of Pierce County unique.

We distilled the community’s ideas, concepts, verbiage and imagery into an anthem called The Northwest Unfiltered.

DESTINATION MARKETING, BY THE NUMBERS • • • • 35

Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

Visitors served – 7,295 (includes VIC and Team #Ask253) Articles influenced – 972 New website visitors – 326,266 Social media followers – 23,524

Each community within Pierce County offers visitors an authentic experience that’s unique to their area. In working with these diverse communities to identify their roles in the overall Pierce County destination, Travel Tacoma developed a conceptual map that identifies those offerings in relation to the other communities throughout the county. Pierce County is not all things to all people, but together with the cities and organizations we work closely with, we have something for everyone.

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NORTHWEST UNFILTERED ANTHEM It’s an anthem not only for our organization but for our destination.

We create honest experiences. We construct cities with color—murals, sculptures and glass art.

We get down to earth with mountains, lakes, land and sea.

We embrace the unknown and leap headfirst, fearlessly. We test new flavors, relish rhubarb, harness hops and make a splash with spirits.

We celebrate culture over local brews, down the fairway and from the stage.

We live life with our arms open, welcoming others to be inspired by the natural beauty that invigorates us.

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

We cultivate community. Our shared pride brings us together and sets us apart.

We mold playgrounds for all—from mountaineers to makers and those who pine for yesteryear.

We revere our industrial identity as we nod to the future.

We are true to our roots.

We are explorers. We are storytellers. We are artists.

We are the Northwest unfiltered.

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

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TRAVEL TACOMA +PIERCE COUNTY

BY THE NUMBERS

$

1,230,000,000

TOTAL DIRECT TRAVEL SPENDING

12,350 JOBS

INDUSTRY EMPLOYMENT GENERATED BY TRAVEL SPENDING

3,271,000

OVERNIGHT VISITORS IN 2017 *

$ $ $ 46

LOCAL TAX RECEIPTS in millions 41

82 128

STATE TAX RECEIPTS in millions Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

* Prior Years Reported Day Visitors ** Washington State Pierce County Travel Impacts and Visitor Volume 2000-2017

TOTAL LOCAL + STATE in millions

FUTURE BOOKED

ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT

»EVENTS» WITH NO ROOM NIGHTS

29 OUT OF A GOAL OF 15

$28.9 million

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BY THE NUMBERS 2017 AT A GLANCE

»

BOOKED

ROOM

NIGHTS 2017

34,176

SOCIAL

» MEDIA » FOLLOWERS

TOTAL CIRCULATION OF ALL 4,683 DESTINATION ARTICLES FOR 2017: 6.22 BILLION

972 INFLUENCED

ARTICLES

A few examples of some of the publications: Jetset Magazine Vancouver Courier Dallas Morning News

INFLUENCED

ARTICLES

2017: 972

NEW » WEBSITE » VISITORS

2017 326,266

2017 23,524 42

HOTEL INDUSTRY DATA

REVENUE PER AVAILABLE ROOM ($)

75

$

70

$ $

65

64.47

AVERAGE DAILY RATE ($)

105

70.33

$

100

66.27

$ $

95

94.99

100.30

97.00

60 $

55 $

50

$

2008

49.05

$

49.87

2009

2010

$

46.85 2011

$

53.73

90

47.82 2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

80

2017

Source: STR, Inc.

REVENUE PER AVAILABLE ROOM ($)

86.31

2008

2009

$

81.62 2010

82.75 2011

$

87.91

83.21 2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Source: STR, Inc.

AVERAGE DAILY RATE ($)

150

2015

60

2016

40

2017

20

0

$

90.13

125

2017

43

$

$

80

2016

$

88.44

85

100

2015

$

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

45

$

53.34

56.65

100 75 50 25

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

Source: STR, Inc.

0

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

Source: STR, Inc.

44

TOURISM INDUSTRY DATA

OCCUPANCY (%)

72.5

70.1

70

67.9

67.5

68.3

$

1000

60

61.1

45

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

0

2017

Source: STR, Inc.

OCCUPANCY (%)

653

2000

2005

2010

2015

2016

2017

Source: Dean Runyan Associates

TAX REVENUE GENERATED BY TOURISM

150

$

125

$

112.8

123.5

$

127.6

TOTAL TAX RECEIPTS 100 ($MILLIONS)

60

STATE TAX RECEIPTS ($MILLIONS)

40

75

$ $

64.5

73.3

$

71

50 LOCAL TAX RECEIPTS ($MILLIONS)

20

0

743

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

2008

80

2017

$

911

250

100

2016

$

1130.8

1229.9

500

57.5

56.6

56.8

2015

$

1090.2

$

60.3

57.5 55

750

62.9 61.1

$

1250

65 62.5

TRAVEL SPENDING ($ MILLION)

1500

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

Source: STR, Inc.

20 0

2000

2005

2010

2015

2016

2017

Source: Dean Runyan Associates

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2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Laurie Beck - Shilo Inn & Suites

Chair Elect Evan Marques - Eisenhower + Carlson PLLC Past Chair Jeremy Foust - Whittaker Mountaineering Secretary Becky Newton - City of Lakewood Treasurer Matt Allen - Chambers Bay Brenda Fritsvold - City of Puyallup Carmen Palmer - City of Sumner Carole Ann McQuade - The Swiss Dean Burke - South Sound Sports Commission Denise Dyer - Pierce County Karen Scott - City of Gig Harbor

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Al Abbott - Carrot Stick Marketing

Kim Bedier - City of Tacoma Laurel McQuade - City of Fife Pat Nagle - Harmon Pub & Brewery Roshaun Yates - Lifestyles Valet, Shuttle & Craft Tours Shon Sylvia - Metro Parks of Tacoma Tom Pavlik - Hotel Murano

Thank you to our funding partners:

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Travel Tacoma + Pierce County

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