Information provided by the Port of Seattle

The Port of Seattle today announced the recipients of 13 grants to support tourism across Washington. The grants will fund nearly $100,000 in projects, from websites and advertising to booths at tourism fairs. The grants must be matched by the organization and used for publicizing and attracting visitors to their destinations.

“The Port of Seattle is the gateway for the entire state of Washington,” said Commission President John Creighton. “By helping local communities grow tourism, we can boost regional economic development by getting more visitors to spend more dollars in great destinations across our state.”

With its grant, the Ballard Chamber of Commerce plans to develop a new brand and website, www.visitballard.com, to provide a one-stop resource about “all things Ballard.” Chamber Executive Director Mike Stewart said the site will feature information about restaurants, shopping, services, and unique experiences, like a visit to the Ballard Locks, Fishermen’s Terminal, Shilshole Bay Marina, or Golden Gardens Park.

“By highlighting all of our unique attractions, including the new Nordic Heritage Museum opening in 2018, we hope to make Ballard a go-to destination, help secure new visitors, and give people who have already visited a reason to come back,” said Stewart.

The Port of Seattle has been encouraging tourists to extend their visits to the region by highlighting places across the state that offer interesting experiences. One goal is to entice some of the nearly one million annual Alaskan cruise passengers to “cruise and stay,” adding a few days on either end of their cruise to sightsee in Washington.

2016 Tourism Grant Awards
Ballard Chamber of Commerce: $10,000

The Ballard Chamber plans to build a traveler website www.VisitBallard.com. The site will be the “go to” online destination for all things Ballard that relate to attractions, services and experiences such as the Ballard Locks, Fishermen’s Terminal and Shilshole Bay Marina.

Carnation Chamber of Commerce: $10,000

Design and implement website, interactive map, and logo
Port of Seattle funds will be used to design and implement a website, interactive map, itineraries, logo, and brand for the region.

City of Stanwood: $3,500

The City will create a new website, www.DiscoverPortSusan.com, to generate interest and inform visitors on the many ways to enjoy the Port Susan area. The intention is to draw visitors and encourage longer stays and experience Washington State in depth.

Chinatown International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA): $7,100

CIDBIA will redevelop and update their website in addition to initiating a cooperative advertising program for local visitor related businesses that will run in WHERE magazine, which is distributed in over 15,000 hotel rooms in Seattle and the Eastside. Port of Seattle funds would be used to design and implement a website, interactive map, itineraries, logo, and brand for the region.

Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA): $10,000

Travel Gay Seattle is GSBA’s LGBT travel initiative. The additional funds will facilitate the development of print, digital travel tools, an iPhone application, and participation in travel expositions and presentations.

Port of Walla Walla & Visit Walla Walla: $6,000

Visit Walla Walla and the Port of Walla Walla will conduct digital advertising campaigns in Denver, Sacramento, or Phoenix that will generate interest and awareness and increase travelers to the Pacific Northwest. All air travelers flying to Walla Walla will use Sea-Tac airport as the connecting gateway to Walla Walla.

REACH Museum/Richland Public Facilities District : 10,000

The Reach Museum plans include advertising expansion in key domestic markets outside of the state of Washington targeted to attract boomer and millennial visitors to fly to Washington including Seattle and then on to the Tri-Cities. The marketing message is to experience the area’s agritourism, outstanding wineries, and the REACH museum that tells the story of the area’s role in ending WWII.

Skamania County Chamber of Commerce: $6,000

The Chamber plans to add an itinerary section to their existing website that will provide insightful, firsthand information from Seattle via Skamania County and beyond. The outcome is to increase multi-day visitation to local businesses.

Three Dollar Bill Cinema: $2,500

A campaign that will target potential out-of-town visitors to attend the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival will be created. The advertising effort will reach a greater audience in the target markets of Vancouver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles with an objective of growing attendees beyond the Puget Sound area for the festival now in its 21st year.

Visit Kitsap Peninsula: $10,000

Visit Kitsap will develop a dedicated portal on their travel website geared to serve the growing number of international visitors that will include translations of useful visitor information, travel tips, and recommendations for visiting during the shoulder seasons.

Visit Rainier: $10,000

Intended to correspond with the extensive 2016 People of Rainier Centennial campaign, Visit Rainier will implement a digital advertising campaign targeting the San Francisco market to raise interest and awareness of Mt. Rainier National Park. The effort will coincide with a media blitz being conducted in the Bay area by Travel Tacoma and Visit Rainier.

Whidbey and Camano Islands Tourism: $5,000

Whidbey / Camano Islands Tourism will be able to participate and attend the premier international tourism show, IPW, for the very first time and ultimately increase international tour programs to the islands. Additionally, the organization will create new website messaging, advertising and collateral targeted toward international visitation.

Wintergrass Music Festival: $9,574

The music festival will expand advertising of print and electronic publications regionally, nationally, and internationally through new collateral and playbills. The focus of the additional advertising materials will be ferries, the marina, and nearby hotels and restaurants.

Total Funding Amount: $99,674