Industry Update: October 2025 | | Photo courtesy of the Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce | Walla Walla Valley RTS Program Spurs Lasting Impact with Three Projects | | |
Tourism stakeholders in the Walla Walla Valley have entered the final phase of SWT’s Rural Tourism Support (RTS) program. Visit Walla Walla will submit final evaluations for three grant projects that align with a shared vision for tourism in the region.
Projects include:
- Wayfinding at Bennington Lake in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Quail Trail now has interpretive signage, safety information, and outdoor recreational opportunities around the lake.
- A valley-wide branding project that promotes visitation across communities through a set of cohesive, branded messages.
- An online mapping tool showcasing agritourism-related entities and activities, complete with several pre-built itineraries. Users can also create separate itineraries tailored to their interests.
These projects are a culmination of three years of work under the RTS program, which served to guide destination development in the region. Projects received matching grant funding of up to $30,000 from SWT.
These projects are made possible thanks to the support of the cities of Walla Walla, College Place, Dayton, Milton-Freewater, and Waitsburg as well as the Walla Walla and College Place chambers of commerce, Walla Walla Parks and Recreation, Downtown Walla Walla Foundation, Outdoor Walla Walla, The Finch Hotel, Stella’s Homestead, and many more.
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Consumer-Facing Events Calendar Shows Exciting Growth
Since its launch in mid-2023, SWT’s consumer-facing events calendar has featured over 1,000 published events across Washington State. The calendar consistently ranks as one of the top landing pages on StateofWATourism.com, with a 33% increase in views year-over-year and a robust engagement rate of 85%.
Destinations, festival organizers, and other organizations are invited to submit their events directly to SWT's event calendar. The events calendar is intended as a resource for visitors to and within the State of Washington who are seeking leisure activities. Expand the reach of your events by adding them to the calendar today!
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Domestic Writers Explore Washington State's Food & Beverage Scene and More
In August, SWT hosted food and beverage writers Adam Callaghan and Stasia Brewczynski, who connected with the SWT team at IMM earlier this year. The pair visited Seattle, Bellevue, Woodinville, and Yakima, focusing on beer, cider, and wine while also highlighting each destination and the hotels they visited. Both Adam and Stasia have already published articles about their time in Washington State in Sip Magazine, Food & Wine, Full Pour, and more. See online articles:
Hosted by: SWT, Visit Seattle, Visit Bellevue, Woodinville Wine Country, Yakima Valley Tourism
SWT also connected with writer Jason Gordon this year at IMM. Jason visited Washington State to inform an upcoming cruise-focused story exploring urban and port areas. Jason explored Bellevue, Seattle, Woodinville, and Issaquah before departing from his stay via the cruise terminal.
Hosted by: SWT, Visit Seattle, Visit Bellevue, Woodinville Wine Country, Visit Issaquah
Outdoor-focused travel writer Mary Beth Skylis also visited Washington State last month. She enjoyed a variety of hiking trails, scenic parks, and farm-to-table cuisine across several destinations, including Wenatchee, Lake Chelan, Redmond, and the Kenmore area.
Hosted by: SWT, Visit Wenatchee, Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce
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International Tour Operators and Writers Visit Washington State in September
Last month, SWT hosted Wonkeun Lee, the CEO of Seungwoo Tour, and Kim Kwang, a SIT Manager for Hana Tour. Both operators specialize in tours featuring outdoor activities. They, along with one of SWT’s Korean reps, spent a day on Mount Rainier with Evergreen Escapes, explored Whidbey Island, and spent two days in Olympic National Park, including a day with Olympic Hiking Co. South Korea is an important market, and both operators indicated interest in expanding their products to include more outdoor experiences in Washington State.
Hosted by: SWT, Visit Seattle, Port of Seattle, Evergreen Escapes, Whidbey and Camano Islands, Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau, Olympic Hiking Co.
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From Sept. 4-12, representatives from French tour operator Marco Vasco toured Washington State. The trip began in Seattle before visiting Friday Harbor, Port Townsend, Port Angeles, Lake Crescent, Lake Quinault, and Mount Rainier. During their tour, the team conducted numerous hotel site inspections, went whale watching, hiked in Olympic National Park, had lunch at Lake Crescent Lodge, and beachcombed at Ruby Beach and Kalaloch Lodge. The tour concluded with a final night at the base of Mount Rainier.
Hosted by: SWT, Port of Seattle, Visit Seattle, Skagit Tourism Bureau, San Juan Islands Visitor Bureau, Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau, Visit Rainier, Rocky Mountain Holiday Tours
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Irene Dijkstra from the Dutch travel company Van Verre recently completed a three-week tour of Washington and Oregon. In Washington, she toured several scenic byways and visited Everett, Bellingham, Winthrop, Chelan, Manson, Wenatchee, Yakima, and Walla Walla. For the second week, Dijkstra was joined by her colleague Lisanne Mol, and they explored the Pacific Coast, including Oyhut Bay Resort, Lake Quinault Lodge, Kalaloch Lodge, the Hoh Rainforest, Port Angeles, and Port Townsend before concluding in Seattle.
Hosted by: SWT, Port of Seattle, Visit Seattle, Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau, Discover Snohomish County, Visit Bellingham, Twisp Chamber of Commerce, Visit Wenatchee, Visit Chelan County, Visit Walla Walla, Washington's Evergreen Coast
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In collaboration with the Port of Seattle and Visit Seattle, SWT recently co-hosted a FAM trip for Swiss and German tour operators, with air support from Edelweiss Air, to increase the tour operators' product knowledge of Washington State and help drive future bookings.
During their visit, they traveled to various locations, including Everett, Suquamish, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, and Tacoma. Their itinerary also featured Mount Rainier, as well as the nearby towns of Ashford and Elbe. Key sites visited included The Boeing Everett Factory Tour, the Suquamish Museum, Bloedel Reserve, Restaurant Lola in Bremerton, the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.
This visit provided ongoing support for the new Edelweiss Air direct flight from Zurich, which launched in June. SWT previously hosted Edelweiss' marketing team on a FAM in May to help them collect digital assets and develop promotional content.
Hosted by: SWT, Visit Seattle, Port of Seattle, Discover Snohomish County, Suquamish Museum, Visit Bainbridge Island, Visit Kitsap Peninsula, Visit Tacoma-Pierce County, Visit Rainier
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SWT, Visit Seattle, and the Port of Seattle cohosted German tour operators with Holland America Line in late September. This FAM is a result of outreach at trade shows and sales missions to encourage tour operators to develop pre- and post-cruise travel packages that extend their clients' time in Washington and explore the state’s diverse communities and outdoor adventures.
Hosted by: SWT, Visit Seattle, Port of Seattle, Woodinville Wine Country, Holland America Line, Condor Airlines
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During a "set-jetting" tour in Washington State, writer Cally Jo Brooks with The Daily Mirror explored locations tied to popular films and shows. The itinerary allowed her to visit filming spots for Sleepless in Seattle, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Twin Peaks. Additionally, the trip featured a focus on the Twilight franchise, with a visit timed to coincide with Forks' annual Love Twilight Festival. The tour highlights how Washington is capitalizing on the trend of film-focused travel.
Hosted by: SWT, Port of Seattle, Visit Seattle, Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau, Olympic Hiking Co., Visit Tacoma-Pierce County, Visit SnoValley
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SWT, in partnership with Brand USA and Visit Seattle, co-hosted Italian journalist Marco Berchi from Sept. 21-23. Berchi, on assignment for La Stampa, began his trip in Seattle before heading to Portland and San Francisco. He focused his Washington visit on exploring major natural attractions, specifically Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. The collaboration was designed to generate international media coverage and inspire Italian travelers to visit the region.
Hosted by: SWT, Visit Seattle, Brand USA, Port of Seattle, Visit Rainier, Mount St. Helens Institute
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Photo courtesy of Washington State Parks | |
Submit Bike Routes to the Washington State Parks Scenic Bikeways Program
One of the best ways to experience the beauty of Washington State is to explore it by bicycle. Washington State Parks just launched the statewide Scenic Bikeways Program. This program designates bike routes with notable scenic, historic, cultural, or recreational value and will mark them with wayfinding signage and on maps. Scenic Bikeways can be made up of shared use paths, bike lanes, or quiet roads; gravel or pavement. Route nominations are open until Nov. 30.
Questions? Email ScenicBikeways@parks.wa.gov.
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Become a Tourism Advocate
With the end of federal grants, SWT’s operational funding is decreasing and will not sustain a statewide, year-round program in the future. Industry members are encouraged to join SWT’s free tourism advocate program to support tourism legislative efforts and stay connected to the statewide tourism industry.
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Dates to Know: Conferences & More
State of Washington Tourism Conference: Oct. 8-10, 2025 | Spokane – Connect with colleagues, learn from experts, recognize industry excellence, and more.
Brand USA Travel Week: Oct. 20-23, 2025 l SWT attends this London-based show to conduct B2B meetings with international tour operators.
Destinations International 2025 Advocacy Summit: Oct. 21-23 | Sacramento, CA – An event focused on the role of destination promotion in building stronger communities and navigating evolving political dynamics.
National Tour Association (NTA): Nov. 9-12, 2025 l Ottawa, ON l B2B meetings with North American tour operators. SWT is not attending this year, but partners seeking group business are encouraged to register directly with NTA.
ITA Summit: Feb. 8-11, 2026 | Niagara Falls, NY – Event hosted by the International Inbound Travel Association that brings together travel organizations to network, learn, and do business.
Wildlife Viewing and Nature Tourism Academy: Feb. 16-20, 2026 | Seattle, WA – Get hands-on practical training, exchange information, resources, and ideas with a network of wildlife viewing and nature tourism professionals.
Want to join SWT at some of these upcoming shows? Email Lisa Kruse for tips on how to get the most out of these shows to grow tourism for your region, city, or business!
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Industry News Highlights
Are you a Destination Marketing Organization or other tourism industry stakeholder with noteworthy news to share? Send links to press releases and announcements to beth@stateofwatourism.com for possible inclusion in the newsletter.
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State of Washington Tourism | stateofwatourism.com
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