11a. Memo
Port of Seattle Tourism Recovery Initiatives Briefing
COMMISSION AGENDA MEMORANDUM Item No. 11a BRIEFING ITEM Date of Meeting January 4, 2022 DATE: 12/11/2021 TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director FROM: Dave McFadden, Managing Director, Economic Development Gail Muller, Project Specialist, Tourism Development Patti Denny, Manager, International Tourism Development SUBJECT: Port of Seattle Tourism Recovery Initiatives EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This briefing provides an overview of the Port of Seattle's efforts to help the visitor industry rebound from pandemic related travel challenges. Tourism is a vital and significant segment of King County and Washington State's economy and is essential to the Port of Seattle because SEA Airport is the primary gateway for air visitation for our state. We are also a gateway of choice for the Alaska Cruise market. The COVID pandemic severely impacted travel and tourism in 2020 and had a huge impact on our Port facilities. Recognizing these challenges Commissioners supported an early $1.5 Million investment to promote tourism recovery via a partnership with the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA). This initiative has supported a comprehensive industry recovery program involving destinations and partners across Washington State. The WTA is now implementing an advertising campaign to help regenerate North American Air markets to SEA International Airport. The Port of Seattle's Tourism grant programs and international marketing efforts have also pivoted during the pandemic. Grant programs were reduced significantly in 2020 as travel was impacted significantly. This year's grants were made to spotlight outdoor and local attractions that provided sensible travel options. The grants also helped key partners impacted by the pandemic showcase their destinations or events. The Port's Tourism team implemented virtual promotional efforts in key countries that generate the most visitors to SEA International airport. The Port's international marketing efforts are complemented via our partnerships with Visit Seattle and the WTA. WASHINGTON TOURISM ALLIANCE PARTNERSHIP EFFORTS Our tourism recovery partnership with the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) continues to unfold. Over the past few months WTA has ramped up a travel publicity campaign and started Template revised April 12, 2018. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. 11a Page 2 of 9 Meeting Date: January 4, 2022 an advertising campaign to regenerate North American air markets serving SEA. WTA is also stepping up efforts to connect with travel trade industry professionals (hoteliers, tour operators, destination marketing organizations and other industry professionals). These efforts are helping the industry recover although it is still too early to quantify the return on the Port's investment in this initiative. Port and WTA funds are split into the following programmatic areas Initiative POS $ WTA Timing (in Q Investment only) Destination Support/Development $150,000 $100,000 Q2 2021 Q1 2022 Travel Publicity Campaign $150,000 $50,000 Q3 2021 Q1 2022 Strategy Communications Advertising $1,080,000 $600,000 Q2 2021 Q1 2022 Campaign Travel Trade Sales and Promotion $120,000 $120,000 Q2 2021 Q1 2022 TOTALS $1,500,000 $870,000 Q2 2021 Q1 2022 Destination Support and Development WTA is implementing a comprehensive industry recovery and destination development program for utilization for the statewide tourism industry. Activities initiated include: The WTA has hosted 8 virtual, half-day destination development workshops for eight state regions, including: Salish Sea; Islands; Beaches; the Gorge; Trails and Lakes; Wine Country; Ponderosa; and the Palouse. Workshops were led by destination development leader Pandion Consulting and included regional assessments, education, research, featured speakers, fundraising development tips and tactics and more. Workshops were attended by hundreds of community members, elected officials, and industry members across all business segments. The WTA is providing tourism grants in partnership with the state departments of agriculture and commerce. The WTA help develop and distribute $2 million in grants to agritourism businesses throughout the state; and distributed $1 million in grants to nonprofit destination marketing organizations in Washington The WTA hosted an agritourism webinar in June that attracted over 200 registrants and featured nationally renowned experts as keynote speakers. The WTA entered a partnership with TREAD (Trails, Recreation, Education, Advocacy, Development) and Dharma Maps to deploy the new TREAD Map App pilot program that combines a consumer-facing location-based app with robust, real-time trail and recreational data, updates, and advisories this spring and summer. The program is operational in the Trails and Lakes region of Central Washington (Kittitas, Grant, Douglas, Chelan, and Okanagan counties), where heavy public lands use is expected again this summer season and is expected to help balance the flow of tourism. Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. 11a Page 3 of 9 Meeting Date: January 4, 2022 Travel Publicity Campaign WTA is implementing a travel publicity campaign to promote Washington as a unique destination and create messaging to positively impact travel trade and consumers. Travel publicity activities include: The WTA communications team served more than 50 travel media throughout the quarter. A selection includes but is not limited to: Good Morning America, Conde Naste Traveler magazine, CBS News, National Geographic (travel guidebook), FVW magazine (German), Primo magazine (Benelux), The Daily Beast, The Lightning Round pod cast. Published or broadcasted coverage resulting from WTA media relations efforts included, but not limited to American Way (American airlines in-flight magazine), Outside magazine, Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, 60 Day USA, Love Exploring, Trips to Discover (top-ten road trips). Strategy and Communications Advertising Campaign WTA is starting to implement an advertising campaign to help regenerate North American Air markets to SEA International Airport. Early campaign consumer elements include: A partnership with Expedia is underway and will boost the presence of Washington with consumer travelers already searching for and booking travel. Display ads throughout Expedia properties drive customers to a custom landing page provides additional Washington inspiration for seasonally targeted regions of the state. Paid social media promoted Facebook and Instagram posts launched in June to drive travelers to the Explore Washington's Backyard landing pages and encourage downloads of the campaign's mobile passports. Paid social posts have reached more than 500,000 people and generated over 1.3 million impressions. Since ads launched, there have been 408 new mobile passport downloads (through June 29). Investment in development of TREAD Map App as consumer marketing/travel advisory and planning tool, including technology development, consultation services, and marketing direct to consumers in air markets. Travel Trade Sales and Promotion The WTA is implementing travel trade marketing initiatives to promote WA State destinations to travel agents, tour operators, and travel influencers: The WTA promoted the destination at Go West (domestic) and ITB (Berlin, in partnership with the Port of Seattle), and the Brand USA Global Marketplace (London) The number of trade show business appointments with tour operators and retail sellers of travel: Go West: 23, ITB:12, Brand USA Global Marketplace: 14. Follow-up emails were made to each appointment participant that included itineraries. A lead distribution system has been created for DMOs across the state. Partners can access notes on each appointment to gain insight on new potential products in their region. Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. 11a Page 4 of 9 Meeting Date: January 4, 2022 The WTA facilitated a travel trade webinar called Steps to Success. The event educated DMOs, hoteliers, tour operators and other industry professionals on the importance of working withing the travel trade industry. A travel trade expert-hosted and a panel included two inbound tour operators and a hotelier who has found success utilizing travel trade. TOURISM DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS Tourism Marketing Support Program The Tourism Marketing Support Program was established six years ago to help tourism partners across Washington State promote their destination or attraction to increase non-resident traveler visitation and expenditures. Each year the Port provides grants to eligible Washington State non-profit organizations, chambers of commerce, cities, ports, and destination marketing organizations for (DMO). Grants of up to $10,000 are awarded and partners must match Port funding on a two to one formula (for every POS dollar invested, the organization must contribute fifty cents). The funds must be used for advertising, publicizing, promoting, or distributing information to attract visitors to the destination. Priorities to support sustainable tourism and ethnic events/attractions have been added to the grant program over time. In 2020 the program was reduced drastically due to pandemic travel restrictions. This year the program rebounded. Via an application process, 32 organizations applied, and 23 organizations were selected for 2021. Two of the 23 selected organizations chose to cancel, due to COVID impacts; however, 21 organizations, for a total amount of $193,432, moved forward with their projects. All the partner organizations, whether they had to cancel or modify their projects, have continued to express their sincere appreciation during this challenging time. Following is the list of the 2021 awarded organizations: POS Awarded Organization Name Summary of Proposed Project Amount Kittitas County Chamber of County-wide social media marketing, targeting out-of- $6,000 Commerce state markets, focusing on diversity and recreation. Creating a destination marketing piece (map & guide) for Alliance for Pioneer Square $7,500 online and for visitors at SEA Airport Social media marketing for destination outdoor Forks Chamber of Commerce $10,000 activities, Quileute Tribe and Makah Tribe attractions, and festival event Digital marketing campaign including advertising to AR, MOHAI $10,000 CA, CO target markets and social media marketing efforts Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. 11a Page 5 of 9 Meeting Date: January 4, 2022 Online advertising campaign, including website redesign, Seattle Architectural Foundation $10,000 social media, and banner ads. Target markets: NY, San Francisco, Chicago. Film production for media broadcast. Spanish speaking San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau $10,000 version included. Emphasis on environmental stewardship, activities, Native American heritage Digital marketing and social media campaign. Graphics and website refresh will highlight minority-owned City of Renton $10,000 businesses, sample travel itineraries, and more. Target markets: TX, CA Social media marketing campaign, including three media Visit Walla Walla $10,000 influencers from CA, TX, MO. Focus on BIPOC travelers. Create multi-day itineraries to include in the "Experience Skamania County Chamber of Skamania" visitor guide, focused on adventure/nature $5,332 Commerce tourism and cruising from POS cruise terminals, for online, hotels, and mailed distribution Eco-adventure itinerary marketing campaign to out-of- Tacoma Regional Convention & $10,000 state audiences, social media influencer marketing, and Visitor Bureau geo-location digital marketing. Develop website, social media campaign focused on Global to Local $10,000 BIPOC "foodie" community, targeting out-of-state markets in CA and TX. Media familiarization and social media target marketing Ballard Alliance $10,000 campaign. Focus on inclusion of diverse cultural experiences Marketing advertising and social media campaign, target City of Westport $10,000 out-of-state fishers from CO, MT, WY Marketing strategy includes print and digital advertising, Visit Bainbridge Island $10,000 social media, and website integration updates for target out-of-state promotional efforts Strategic social media, online and print advertising Savor Central Washington $8,600 campaign, targeting several CA markets. Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. 11a Page 6 of 9 Meeting Date: January 4, 2022 Target markets: NY, AR, CA, IL, FL for online and social Jefferson County Chamber of $8,000 media marketing campaign, including video production, Commerce advertising, and new website landing page Website development and online media campaign, focused on promotion of "foodie" loop extension Mt. Adams Chamber of $10,000 through WA wine country, support to native-owned Commerce businesses and highlighting sustainable outdoor recreation. Market targets: CO, NM, CA, TX Develop a visual asset library for social media marketing Cascade Loop Association $10,000 and promotional efforts, targeting key air traffic markets Create online and print marketing, digital and social Coupeville Chamber of $10,000 media campaigns, create website videos and itineraries Commerce for out-of-state travelers. Target markets: CO, AR, CA Online advertising and social media marketing campaign, City of North Bend $10,000 highlighting adventure outdoor recreation, art, and culture. Strategic online, print, radio, TV, and social media marketing advertising for event promotion to target Acoustic Sound Wintergrass $8,000 audiences from CA, TN, and other out-of-state cities. Focus on BIPOC outreach and inclusion Spotlight SEA Airport Advertising Program Since Q4 2017, the Spotlight SEA Airport Advertising Program offers eligible Washington State non-profit organizations, destination marketing organizations, cities, chambers of commerce, counties and our neighbor cities of Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila an opportunity to advertise, on a quarterly basis, at SEA International Airport to provide travelers with an awareness of destinations, attractions, activities, and events throughout our state. In the second quarter of 2020, 27 of the total 36 awarded organizations had to cancel, due to COVID-19 impacts on small businesses and travel restrictions. A total of 18 awarded organizations were able to advertise in Q2-Q4 2020. Via an application process, a total of 32 organizations were selected for 2021. In comparison, a total of 48 organizations were selected for 2019, and with a total of 27 organizations already selected for Q1-Q2 2022, the increasing momentum for tourism recovery for next year is already palpable. Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. 11a Page 7 of 9 Meeting Date: January 4, 2022 INTERNATIONAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT International Tourism Development's efforts support both SEA and our cruise terminals as gateways to Seattle and Washington state. Key market targets are countries with direct air service into SEA and countries with high levels of cruising enthusiasts. We currently maintain three in-market offices in the United Kingdom/Ireland, Germany/Mainland Europe, and Australia/New Zealand with a focus on informing and educating the travel trade and media on the benefits of cruising from Seattle to Alaska, the wide range of pre/post cruise tourism opportunities in Seattle and Washington state, and the advantages of SEA as the preferred gateway for the Pacific Northwest, Western USA, and Western Canada. WHY UNITED KINGDOM: Citizens of the United Kingdom are big on their holidays, viewing them as essential. UK is the USA's biggest overseas market representing 8% of all inbound travel - 4.87M in 2019. The UK is Seattle's largest long-haul market with direct air service via American Airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Aer Lingus. 2M Brits cruised in 2019 and via our CLIA UK relationship, we target 8,000 cruise influencers. Testament to the Port's successful Cruise & Stay UK marketing, we received 2021 WAVES nomination as "highly recommended destination" by a jury of peers media/trade influencers. WHY AUSTRALIA: Cruising is the quintessential modern Australian holiday with 35+M Australians cruising in 2019. Australia leads the established cruise markets in penetration rates - one in 17 Australians cruise. Australian holidays (19-21 days) provide plenty of time to explore the Pacific Northwest USA has emerged a top-booked international destination with borders opening in November. Australian savings (which have traditionally averaged 9.48% over the past 60 years) reached an all-time high of 23.6% in 2021 - meaning Australians have the cash to travel big in 2022 and beyond. WHY GERMANY: Germany is the largest and wealthiest source market in Continental Europe. # 3 in the world for tourism expenditures - USD $93.2B. Total population of "only" 83M with 2M Germans traveling to the USA pre-pandemic. Direct air service into SEA via Lufthansa and Condor (Alaskan Airlines partner) plus easy connections via Delta and Icelandair. 2.4M German cruise passengers in 2019. Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. 11a Page 8 of 9 Meeting Date: January 4, 2022 Rapidly growing source market for cruise vacations. Extremely strong partnership in Germany between Port and NCL for trainings and promotions. Germans as a rule have 30 days of paid vacation and enjoy 12 public holidays. Internationally, we collaborate with airlines, cruise Lines, Brand USA, U. S. Travel Association, U.S. Commercial Service, Cruise Lines Industry Association (CLIA) and Visit USA Committees. Locally, we partner with Washington Tourism Alliance, Visit Seattle, Washington Wine Commission, statewide tourism offices, hotels, and attractions. In 2019, the Port welcomed 1.2M cruise passengers - 10% were international visitors. Visit Seattle reports the city received 712,500 overseas visitors in 2019 (2,475,200 including Mexico and Canada) with $525,500,000 introduced into our local economy. With Covid-19 restricting international travel, Tourism has initiated inspirational and educational programs to provide our global travel industry audience with compelling content to keep Seattle and Washington state top-of-mind. Our representatives have provided the trade with tools (itineraries, webinars, training, newsletters, etc.) for tourism development when travel opens again. The opening rates for our newsletter and press release communications have received an average 26% opening rate (industry average is 12-13%) and have generated $2,347,324 earned advertising equivalency. The post-pandemic marketplace will be very competitive. Destinations that are not working with the proper B2B tour development channels will lose out. TRAVEL MARKETING PROCESS Destination/Hotel/Attraction " Receptive Tour Operator (RTO) " Tour Operator " Travel Agent " Consumer To support SEA international flights and cruise business, Tourism focuses on designing new itineraries that reflect emerging travel trends and works with Receptive Tour Operators to provide their global networks with ready-to-book holidays. In 2021, Tourism leveraged key RTO relationships to generate awareness and interest in Washington tourism. Through ATI, ATP, Bonotel, InquisiTours, RMHT, and Travalco, our itineraries are shared in 70 different countries to 7,000 travel trade businesses worldwide. Tourism Development 2022 Priorities For 2022, the Tourism program will continue to provide inspirational and educational communications to our media and travel trade partners. Flexibility is important. Our Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. 11a Page 9 of 9 Meeting Date: January 4, 2022 representatives will monitor the Covid situation to react to changes and close contact will be maintained with RTO partners to create bookable itineraries. Marketing strategies and tactics will include sponsorship and participation in familiarization tours, international trade shows, sales missions, marketing campaigns with cruise lines and tour operators, and other industry events. We will continue to investigate how to best utilize and leverage resources for international marketing via partner organizations Washington Tourism Alliance, Visit Seattle and Destination Management Organizations throughout Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Tourism Development will also work with the WTA and other partners to organize a conference on sustainable and responsible travel during the Fall of 2022. ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING (1) Presentation slides PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS February 23, 2021 Washington Tourism Alliance briefing to Port Commissioners December 15, 2020 Commissioners authorized the Executive Director to approve execution of all contract agreements for the 2021 Tourism Marketing Support Program July 28, 2020 The Commission authorized the Executive Director to execute a $1.5 million joint marketing agreement with Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) to promote tourism recovery Template revised September 22, 2016.
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