Item No.:   10c supp
Meeting Date: March 22, 2022

United Kingdom/Europe
Tourism Marketing Contracts

Tourism Development
Department

1

UK/Europe In-Market Representation
Requesting Commission authorization
for the Executive Director to execute
a contract to promote Port gateways
and Washington state tourism
opportunities in the UK and Europe
as a one-year contract for $185,000
with two additional one-year options
at the rate of $185,000 per year for a
total not to exceed $555,000.

2

Promoting International Travel
The Port started marketing
its international gateways in
1984 with an emphasis on:
Supporting SEA's existing
international carriers
Attracting new international routes
and air service to/from SEA
We bolstered these marketing
efforts to support the growing
Alaskan Cruise market
We have also accented
Washington's pre/post cruise and
fly/drive destinations

3

International Travel Marketing  Who Does What
Washington State, Visit Seattle and the Port are the
primary partners that have had foreign
representatives/offices promoting international travel to
Seattle and Washington State
Washington State:
Tourism representation/office in Germany closed years
ago
Just now relaunching efforts  no foreign
representation
Visit Seattle:
Tourism representation/offices in Japan, Korea, China
Australia, France, Germany and United Kingdom
Curtailed representation during pandemic  slowly
rebuilding international representation
Port of Seattle:
Tourism representation/offices in UK/Ireland, Germany
and Australia/New Zealand
Maintained representation  scaled back somewhat in
20/21 due to pandemic

4

United Kingdom: USA's biggest Overseas Market
UK is the USA's biggest overseas market
representing 8% of all inbound travel 
4.87M in 2019
SEA largest long-haul market with direct
air service via American Airlines, British
Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Airlines and
Aer Lingus
SEA inbound/outbound UK traffic is
50:50 split. (SEA maintains a stronger
outbound traffic in all other markets even
by foreign flag carriers.)
2M Brits cruised in 2019 making it the
largest overseas source of cruise outside
USA
5

German Market Potential
Germany is the largest and wealthiest source
market in Continental Europe - ranked 3rd in the
world in 2019 for international tourism
expenditures  USA $93.2B
Direct air service into SEA via Lufthansa and
Condor (Alaska Airlines partner) plus easy
connections via Delta from Amsterdam and
Icelandair via Reykjavik
2.4M German cruise passengers worldwide in
2019 . It is a rapidly growing source market for
pre/post cruise vacations. Port maintains a strong
partnership in Europe with NCL.
Tour operator demand for authentic experiences,
outdoor activities and wide-open spaces align with
fly/drive opportunities in Washington supporting
SEA long-haul travel.
6

Tourism Marketing Efforts
Port of Seattle implements Business to Business
(B2B) marketing initiatives through travel
agents
International consumers still purchase their
holiday and international travel primarily
through local travel offices
Travel agents are affiliated with tour operators
that offer travel packages and itineraries. Some
the travel agents work for the tour operators,
and some are independent.
We showcase itineraries that utilize this B2B
distribution network:
Destinations/Hotels/Attractions "
Receptive Tour Operator (RTO) "
Tour Operator " Travel Agent " Consumers
Our B2B approach supports and compliments
the marketing efforts of Visit Seattle and the
State of Washington Tourism
7

Tourism Marketing - Trade Shows
Strategy: Market Seattle and Washington State
travel itineraries at key travel industry trade shows:
U.S. Travel Association's IPW
ITB-Berlin
World Travel Mart
Port staff set up appointments (ex. 60+ at IPW) with
tour operators, airlines, cruise lines and media. Booth
visitors present additional contacts.
A key Port emphasis at trade shows/meetings is to
provide bookable itinerary products.  We highlight
itineraries crafted with key business partners such ATI,
ATP, Bonotel, InquisiTours, RMHT, and Travalco who,
in turn, showcase our tours in 70 different countries
to 7,000 travel trade businesses worldwide.
8

Tourism Marketing  Public Relations
Strategy: Public Relations  getting stories
@ Seattle, Cruise, etc. into travel magazines,
newspapers, etc.
United Kingdom
Open Rate: 27%
Distribution: 419,918,320
Earned Media Value: $1,587,763
Germany
Open Rate: 23%
Distribution: 3,488,841
Earned Media Value: $380,736
Year End 2021
Contributions from other WA State
partners towards marketing efforts =
$250,000


Tour Operator Marketing Campaign  Barrhead Travel
USA tour operator in Scotland/Northern England.
33% of their turnover is cruise - $420M annually.
Traditionally sold more Vancouver departures.
2022 POS campaign with Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean
to promote Seattle includes:
Dedicated Seattle landing page on website:
https://www.barrheadtravel.co.uk/worldwide/usa/seattle
100,000 database e-shots linking to landing page
Window poster displays in 180 retail High Street shops
Digital screen ads inside High Street shops
Social media outreach via Instagram and Facebook
Seattle banners and tiles on Barrhead website

Window Display

2022 Tour Op Campaign  Gold Medal Travel
Gold Medal Travel is a leading British B2B tour operator with a
network of 3,500 travel agents. Their cruise arm, Cruise Plus,
provides agents with tailor-made worldwide cruising options in
combination with ground packages
April 2022 campaign elements:
Highlight in Gold Medal's Cruise Plus mini-brochure
Mini-brochure distribution via 4 UK Travel Trade Road Shows
Dedicated website landing-page during campaign
Dedicated E-shot
2 Posters with tactical offer, key USPs and hero image
Social media outreach
Facebook: 12,500 Followers
Messaging for above tools to include:
Cruise Plus/Holland America Line/Port of Seattle                 Holland America brand overview
create joint marketing campaign                        Port of Seattle key selling points
to promote cruising from Seattle                         6 Handpicked Seattle/Washington itineraries

Promoting Alaska Cruise With Norwegian Cruise Lines
Road Show targeting 12 cities in Germany,
Switzerland & Austria - March 29  April 8, 2022
Road Show to educate travel agents/media on:
NCL fleet and Alaska packages
Seattle as the preferred gateway for
Alaska
Pre/Post tours to Seattle and
Washington state
Audience: 400 travel agencies & local media
Format:
PowerPoint, videos, and talks presented by POS
German representative

Cruise Lines of America
UK Partnership
Multiple engagements with 8,000 UK CLIA
members
Keep current, POS profile on CLIA UK
website
Provide POS features for E-Newsletters
targeting some 16,000 cruise influencers
Participate in Media & Trade Cruise
Workshops
Promote POS Cruise & Stay Training Webinar
Provide full-page ad for annual CLIA 2021
Yearbook

Prime Time To Market: International Travel Recovery


U.S. Travel Association projects major 2022 recovery for international visitation
Optimism for Cruise: 2022 bringing 296 sailings with strong global sales in-play
Seattle/Washington provides compelling/unique enticements:
IAF Opening -- Waterfront Development -- 3 National Parks
14

Questions?


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