Industry section

TOURISM MATTERS IN whatcom county

Hotels and meeting facilities, attractions, restaurants and transportation providers are among the local businesses greatly impacted by travel to Whatcom County. The tourism industry employs 6,820 people, generates nearly $32.3 million in revenue for Bellingham and Whatcom County and touches the community in countless other ways.

Nationwide, the U.S. travel industry directly employs 7.5 million people, generates payroll of $178 billion and tax revenues of about $110 billion. The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) ranks travel fifth among 20 major private industry sectors. Visitors to the U.S. spent more here than U.S. residents traveling abroad, creating a positive balance of trade of $8.3 billion for the national economy. Travel expenditures within the United States total $740 billion.

IMPACT OF TOURISM
For more facts and trivia on the impact of the tourism industry, click here.

WHY TOURISM MATTERS CAMPAIGN
Tourism Matters is sponsored by Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, a non-profit economic development agency responsible for competitively marketing the Mt. Baker region as a destination for meeting and convention groups and leisure travelers. Direct visitor spending benefits hotels, retailers, restaurants, attractions, transportation services and other businesses, and supports jobs in throughout the city and county. Click here to learn more about Whatcom County’s tourism bureau.

TELL YOUR ELECTED LEADERS WHY TOURISM MATTERS
Contact your state legislator, county executive or mayor throughout the year to remind them to support tourism efforts. Customize a letter for submission during National Tourism Week in May each year.

TOURISM AMBASSADORS
The face of tourism in Whatcom County lies in the people who serve the industry. Listen to why tourism matters to the ambassadors of tourism.

We need your story! If you’re a frontline tourism industry professional in Whatcom County, we will write a profile about you and your business and post it here. Contact us so we can explain why Tourism Matters to you.