Visitor spending in Whatcom County grew to $775.9M in 2024, up 3.4% from 2023. Modest growth was seen across all sectors of the hospitality industry, with accommodations leading the way.
New data released by Tourism Economics reveals that spending among visitors to Whatcom County increased modestly in 2024, growing 3.4% from 2023 for an annual total of $775.9 million in spending. This number falls just below statewide gains of 5.3% and brings us closer to pre-pandemic rates of growth. The study, prepared for State of Washington Tourism, tracks the number of visitors to the region, their associated spend in five categories (shown in Figure A below), and industry jobs by sector (shown in Figure C below).
“The data from 2024 indicates a steady and modest increase for the year overall. We observed nearly the same number of visitors but with a higher rate of spending, which is always encouraging to see and directly aligns with our goal of attracting visitors who stay in our area longer and spend more while they’re here,” said Visit Bellingham | Whatcom County CEO Dylan Deane-Boyle. “We are hopeful for continued growth into 2025 as we navigate challenges related to Canadian sentiment, inflation, and higher travel prices.”
Fig A: Breakdown of direct travel spending in Whatcom County in 2024
Fig C: Changes in visitor spending by sector and employment numbers, 2019-2024
The rate of spending growth varied across sectors in 2024, with the most gains seen in accommodations, retail, and transportation. Growth lagged in jobs supported by tourism, which has held fairly steady since 2022.
“Before the pandemic, in 2019, Whatcom County was home to 7,466 jobs supported by tourism. Despite tempered growth in these jobs over the last couple of years, we are pleased to see the total number of jobs continue to exceed pre-pandemic levels,” said Deane-Boyle.
Learn more about how Visit Bellingham | Whatcom County strives to increase visitor spending, lengths of stay, and support local industry jobs in our annual report at bellingham.org/about-us.
Visit Bellingham | Whatcom County is an independent, 501 (c)(6) nonprofit economic development organization whose purpose is to improve the economy by marketing Bellingham Whatcom County as a premier, year-round visitor, sports, outdoor recreation, arts and cultural, and meetings destination, which supports all travel, tourism, and hospitality businesses and nonprofits in Whatcom County.
