A cruise ship at the Port of Seattle – Image Credit: Joe Mabel (CC by SA-4.0)
According to an article recently published in the Seattle Times, the 2018 tourist season is revving up to have a big impact on the Seattle economy. A major source of tourists are cruise passengers that go through the Port of Seattle en route to Alaska. The Port projects over 1.1 million cruise passengers this year, breaking last year’s record. These numbers will make Seattle the largest cruise port on the US West Coast for the second consecutive year.
Numbers coming in from 2017 are giving the Seattle tourist industry a positive outlook. According to the non-profit tourism marketing organization Visit Seattle, the area received more than 40 million visitors in that year, an increase of 2.5% from 2016. This makes 2017 the eighth consecutive year in which the record number of visitors has been broken, and there is no sign of slowing down. International flights are being added to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and the Washington State Convention Center is likely to expand. All of this tourism revenue adds up to about $7.4 billion flowing into the regional economy.
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