Figures released today by State of Washington Tourism (SWT) indicate modest growth in Washington State’s visitor volume, expenditures, tax receipts and employment in 2024, though adjusted for inflation, visitor spending has not yet surpassed 2019 levels.
The annual Economic Impacts of Visitors in Washington State, compiled by national travel research firm Tourism Economics for SWT, was released today in advance of National Travel and Tourism Week, May 4-10.
According to the report, inflationary pressures continued to play a role in visitor spending growth in Washington last year. Visitor expenditures increased 5.3% to $25.1 billion in 2024, exceeding 2019 levels. However, in inflation-adjusted terms, the industry remains 5.2% behind 2019 business levels and Washington. Seattle-King County visitor spending increased 6.8%, outpacing the state as a whole. All other counties collectively grew 4.0%.
Last year, visits to Washington increased 2.7% to 110.8 million, or 101% of 2019 levels. The market was largely composed of domestic visitation (97.8% of total share), which grew 2.6%. International market recovery continued to demonstrate strong growth potential, increasing 9.7 percent overall; Canadian visits grew 3.5% and other international visits grew 19.1% (note that 2024 growth figures preclude the downward influence of 2025 tariffs and political rhetoric).
Direct state and local tax revenue increased 4.1% to $2.6 billion in 2024, reaching 111% of 2019 levels. The total state and local taxes generated by visitors to Washington offset the average resident household tax burden by $1,140 per year.
In 2024, tourism supported 232,457 direct, indirect, and induced (or “total jobs”) jobs, comprising 1 in 21 jobs in the state. Jobs directly supported by tourism numbered 153,885, growing 1.2% over the previous year and representing 94% of 2019 employment levels.
Notably, in 2024, the three leading employment sectors within the tourism industry showed declines over the previous year: the food and beverage sector had 62,376 jobs, followed by recreation and entertainment with 27,483 jobs and lodging with 26,028 jobs Prior to the pandemic the leisure/hospitality segment led job growth in the state.
“Five years after the pandemic, we’re grateful for incremental growth in many sectors,” said David Blandford, SWT CEO. “However, the pace and consistency of growth remains uneven across the state and its various business segments and tourism markets. Additional data from Tourism Economics points to a correlation between tourism investment and returns, projecting that with adequate state tourism program investment Washington could stimulate an additional $14.6 billion in visitor spending over the next decade.”
Economic Impacts of Visitors in Washington State compiles survey data from Longwoods International; Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics by industry; STR lodging performance data; Washington Department of Revenue Tax collections: Lodging and sales tax receipts; international travel data for overseas, Canadian, and Mexican travel to Washington based on aviation, survey, and credit card information; and Datafy geolocation data.
About State of Washington Tourism
State of Washington Tourism (the recently rebranded Washington Tourism Alliance) is a 501(c)(6) organization established by industry stakeholders with the sole mission of developing and sustaining Washington State destination tourism marketing. SWT procures and administers funds for state destination tourism marketing activities and creates and implements the strategic statewide destination marketing plan. Visit the destination website at www.stateofWAtourism.com or the tourism industry site here.
