Amidst COVID-19 economic devastation, new report reveals 5.4% increase in visitor spending in 2019

VANCOUVER, Wash.—A recent report conducted by Tourism Economics for the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) shows that visitor spending to Clark County in 2019 was more than $554 million—a 5.4% increase from 2018. Visitor spending has continued to increase every year since 2010. Spending by visitors creates $65.8 in tax revenue for the local economy, including $383.82 in savings per household.

“While we are happy to see these positive numbers for 2019, they feel a bit irrelevant now,” said Cliff Myers, President & CEO of Visit Vancouver USA. “We know that tourism can contribute in an important and impactful way to the local economy. Our job now is to continue to find ways to promote those businesses that would usually be supported by visitor dollars. When the time is right, Visit Vancouver USA will be ready to promote our region and assist in the critical economic recovery ahead.”

The report also showed that tourism supported 4,723 jobs in Clark County. Tourism and hospitality have taken a hard hit early in the evolving COVID-19 crisis, with U.S. Travel reporting employment for leisure and hospitality workers down 47 percent in April.

In recent years, Clark County’s tourism offerings have expanded impressively. After the American Empress Riverboat adopted Vancouver as a point of embarkation earlier in the century, ilani, the expansive casino and resort, opened in 2017. In 2018, the new Vancouver Waterfront brought new views and businesses to the community. And throughout 2019, new retail shops, wine tasting rooms, and restaurants sprung up throughout the community.

“We are confident that we can continue to build on this growth in the coming years,” Myers said.

Note that in 2019 WTA switched vendors from Dean Runyan to Tourism Economics. The two vendors use slightly different methodologies—as such, the Tourism Economics total is more comparable to the direct visitor spending number from the previous report, which was $524.9 million in 2018.

For more information on travel’s economic impacts, please visit www.VisitVancouverUSA.com.

About Visit Vancouver USA
Visit Vancouver USA is the official destination marketing organization for Vancouver USA and the surrounding areas. The organization also markets the region as a venue for sports events through the Vancouver USA Sports brand. Visit Vancouver USA's mission is to increase visitor spending in Vancouver and Clark County through competitively marketing the area as a destination for meetings, conventions, and group and leisure travelers. For more information call 360-750-1553, or visit www.VisitVancouverUSA.com.

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