(The Center Square) – Spokane County saw a notable peak in tourism in 2023, attracting 9.77 million visitors and generating a total economic impact of approximately $2.3 billion.
The visitors, including those staying overnight in the county and those who came from more than 50 miles away, are expected to spend about 10 million dollars and spend $1.5 billion, a 3.9% increase since 2022, according to a report compiled by Oxford Economics for Visit Spokane.
Visit Spokane is a nonprofit organization that promotes tourism in the region. They’re currently hosting Expo 50, a nine-week event celebrating 50 years since Spokane hosted the World’s Fair in 1974. At the time, Spokane was the smallest city ever to host a World’s Fair.
City and county officials are hopeful the fair will bring in big revenue because it will coincide with the county’s high-profile tourism events, including Bloomsday Races and Hoopfest, which drew large numbers of visitors in 2023.
The $1.5 billion in tourist spending in 2023 would support more than 17,500 jobs and boost labor income by $635 million. Oxford Economics breaks down spending into five categories, with 28% on food and beverage, 25% on accommodation, 21% on retail sales, 17% on transportation, and 9% on recreation and entertainment.
Breaking the numbers down further, the report said visitors spend $4 million per day, support 5 percent of the total workforce and generate annual labor income that, when distributed to every Spokane County household, equates to about $2,975.
Total spending increased 3.9% from 2022 to 2023, but the increase widened to 5.8% compared to pre-pandemic 2019. That year, 9.76 million people visited the county and spent about $1.4 billion, according to the report, with visitor numbers up 0.1% and spending up 5.8% from 2019 to 2023.
While the change from 2019 to 2023 is relatively small, compared to previous years during the pandemic, Spokane County has seen a significant rebound in tourism.
Government revenues are expected to reach $399 million in 2023 thanks to tourist spending, with about 60% of that coming from state and local taxes. If that figure was zero, each household in the county would have had to pay an additional $1,065 to supplement their income, according to the report.
That tax alone would be enough to pay the salaries of the county’s 2,600 police officers, according to the report.
