As various travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic have been eased, the Seattle tourism market is also starting to stretch.
Industry insiders say there is still a long way to go to reach pre-pandemic levels, but there are signs of recovery in several areas.
According to the tourism industry, the tourism industry is reviving, with hotel occupancy gradually increasing in Seattle and other King County areas.
According to the industry status report recently published by Visit Seattle, downtown Seattle hotel occupancy increased by 11% and King County by 8% from January to February, respectively. Over the past four weeks, hotel occupancy across the county has reached 56%.
According to industry sources, Seattle tourism peaked by breaking new records every year from 2018 to 2019, just before the coronavirus pandemic.
During the peak season, Seattle hotel reservations are still far short of when compared to when the sky was a star, but the industry sees it as a positive sign.
Other tourism sectors are also slowly opening up.
According to the industry, a total of 296 cruises departing or arriving from Seattle this year, and the average daily number of passengers at SeaTac Airport is 43,000.
In addition, the Washington State Convention Center, where various international conferences were held, has already booked a number of conferences with a total of 24,000 people expected to attend, including the animation event in April.
Walker Willingham, who runs a business at Pike Place, Seattle’s first tourist spot, said, “The barriers to travel to the US are now back to pre-pandemic levels.
The opening of the Canadian border is also expected to act as another positive for Seattle tourism.
From the 1st, visitors entering or returning to Canada across the border will no longer be required to submit a corona-negative certificate.
“Canadian tourists make up half of our customers,” said Allison Russell, Canmore Airlines, a provider of seaplane tours.