By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Seattle on April 11 announced recipients of grants to support tourism across Washington State. The grants are expected to fund $150,000 in projects, from websites and advertising to booths at travel trade shows.
The grants must be matched by the organization and used for publicizing and attracting visitors to their destinations. This year, grant recipients are committing nearly $100,000 worth of matching funds.
“Increasing the number of tourists to Washington means more jobs for our region, so the Port of Seattle is partnering with communities to help grow tourism,” Commissioner John Creighton explained.
The maritime-related 2017 marketing support program recipients include:
• Ballard Alliance, which received a $10,000 award to implement a digital advertising campaign to attract and increase non-resident travel-related expenditures including Fishermen’s Terminal and Shilsole Bay Marina.
• The Port of Bellingham is receiving $10,000 to market its area as an outdoor recreation base and growing reputation as a premier craft beer destination. The promotion effort will reportedly include marketing air travel to Bellingham via Sea-Tac Airport and participation in a travel / trade show in Denver, Colorado.
• The Port of Edmonds will receive $10,000. In concert with other travel-related organizations, the Port of Edmonds is expected to develop an online media campaign including video promoting whale watching opportunities from Edmonds.
• The Puget Sound Attractions Council will receive $5,500 to participate in an international tour operator travel trade show promoting their attractions to sellers of travel to the Pacific Northwest. It will also host additional travel media and social media influencers from beyond the Pacific Northwest to experience their city and surrounding unique visitor destinations.
Friday, April 14, 2017
