2012 Community Report

10 years. Looking back. Looking forward.
Annual Tourism Network Meeting.
ANNUAL REPORT
Dear Tourism Partners,
Seattle Southside has reached its tenth year and the staff and myself
could not be more proud of what we have accomplished over the years.
First and foremost, I want to thank you, our partners for all of your
support and dedication to our organization. Together our region has
become the second largest grouping of hotels in Washington State and
with great attractions and ammenities, Seattle Southside is an incredible
travel destination.
As the official destination marketing organization for the Cities of Tukwila,
SeaTac, Kent and Des Moines, Seattle Southside provides leadership
and services to competitively market the region.
Our efforts create jobs, grow tax revenue, and improve the quality of life
for residents and businesses.
A regional approach to
destination marketing is the
most efficient and effective way
to promote tourism so that all of
our cities benefit.
Together we rock!
Sincerely,
Katherine Kertzman
Execute Director
Thanks to our event sponsors:
TRAVEL IMPACTS
TRAVEL BY THE NUMBERS
In 2011, travelers to Seattle
$592.1M
Southside spent
in our community.
Local and state tax revenues
directly generated by travel spend
was nearly
$57M in 2011.
Total employment directly generated
by travel spend in 2011 was
jobs and
Seattle
Southside
Visitors
5,010
$173.1M in wages.
$
Food
Retail
Lodging
Attractions
$
Wages
Salaries
Taxes
Profits
$
The
Community
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TRAVEL IMPACTS
Lodging Sales vs. Travel Spending
Des
Moines,
$1.7M
Kent,
$16M
Tukwila,
$46M
Tukwila,
$247M
Kent,
$152M
Des
Moines,
$22M
SeaTac,
$171M
SeaTac,
$100M
Source: Dean Runyan Associates January 2012
Although SeaTac has 60 percent of all lodging sales, Tukwila, Des
Moines and Kent have a greater share of visitor-related sales in food
services, entertainment, and retail. This is why promoting travel as a
region is mutually beneficial.
Visitor Nights Contribute to Spend
Hotel/Motel Visitor-Nights 2011
Seattle Southside
King County
Washington State
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Overnight Visitors’ Average Expenditures
Travel
Party
Party
Size
Length
of Stay
Hotel/Motel
$740
2.2
2.0
Other
$217
2.0
3.2
All Overnight
$636
2.1
2.2
Source: Dean Runyan Associates January 2012
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When visitors travel to Seattle
Southside almost threequarters of them stay in
hotels. This is considerably
more than compared to King
County and Washington
State. These overnight
travelers contribute over 95
percent of the visitor spend
to the region. The total
annual spending estimates
for overnight visitors is over
$500 million while day trippers
spend $26 million or 4.5
percent of the total visitor
expenditures.
Positive Across the Board
2009
2010
2011
% Change
Occupancy
61.2
64.8
68.0
4.9
ADR
89.57
86.96
88.80
2.1
Supply
3,184,625
3,200,210
3,216,380
0.5
Demand
1,950,490
2,073,548
2,185,919
5.4
Revenue
174,697,048 180,305,879 194,098,978
7.6
Source: 2011 Smith Travel Research, Inc
Increased visitor spend can also be seen in the Smith Travel Research
report. The Seattle Southside region is positive across the board with
occupancy nearly back up to the highs of 2008. Average daily rate is
also increasing but at a much slower pace. The steepest portion of the
demand recovery is behind us. Now the focus on room rate will become
increasingly more important to hotel operators.
Smith Travel Research forecasts hotel occupancy will be flat in 2012, but
average daily rates will rise by 4.5 percent.
5
2011 RECAP
MAJOR INITIATIVES RECAP
In late 2009 the Seattle Southside Lodging Tax Advisory Committees
formally adopted a new strategic brand plan.
The vision of the strategic plan is to cultivate a leadership role in
destination marketing for our region by:
•
•
•
•
Maintaining and expanding corporate and community alliances
Enhancing a diversified portfolio of products and services
Growing the leisure and group visitor segments
Protecting and nurturing our brand through an integrated marketing
program
• And focusing on key target markets
Seattle Southside is the practical traveler’s home
base – a comforting refuge giving visitors the
confidence to explore as far as they want, knowing
they can always return.
It has everything the practical traveler needs for a
great trip:
•
•
•
•
•
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Comfortable hotels and familiar restaurants
Waterfront walks to family attractions
Mall bargains to small-town shops
Unique museums to thrilling sporting events
Close proximity to adventures of all kinds
PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES
VISITOR CENTER
Walk-ins
Inquiries
Brochure Distribution
Shuttle Riders
2011
% Change
2,089
32,638
126,791
28,746
95
19
13.5
18
345
154
5
1,376
$21,330
300
300
300
Web Visits
308,729
71
Page Views
1,784,205
109
4.8
12
Hotel Reservations
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Interns
Hours
Value
ONLINE RESULTS
Avg. Page View/Session
Avg. Time on Site
3:03
31
Online Room Nights Booked
1,396
80
Press Releases
13
333
Articles Published
122
-57
PUBLIC RELATIONS
New E-newsletter Subscriptions
3,591
160
46
2200
New Facebook Fans
3,600
1,000
New Twitter Followers
480
52
64
5,577
68
20
$548,378
$70,328
17
18
5,087
15
Blog Articles Published
GROUPS & MEETINGS
RFPs
Actualized Room Nights
Actualized Room Revenue
Actualized F&B Revenue
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MARATHON
Hotel Room Nights
% of Total Room Nights
Avg. Room Rate
Visitor Spending
22.8%
6
$93.90
4
$4,800,000
14
7
2011 RECAP
DELIVER PROVEN RESULTS
2011 Estimated Return on Investment
Visitor Spend
Visitor Center
345 reservations
$255,300
Online
1,369 reservations
$725,200
Groups
5,577 room nights
$2,063,860
RnR Marathon
5,087 room nights
$4,800,000
Shuttle Riders
28,746 riders
$4,311,900
Promo Packages
369 room nights
Total Visitor Spend
Total Visitor Spend
$12,338,300
Program Budget
$1,426,000
=
8
$8.65 to $1 ROI
$182,040
$12,338,300
2012 INITIATIVES
LEISURE PROMOTION
In 2012, Seattle Southside will leverage the relationships developed
with leisure travelers through direct mail, e-newsletters and social media
platforms.
With nearly 1.8 million annual page views, SeattleSouthside.com serves
as the hub for all the marketing programs providing a single convenient
place for potential visitors to access area information, review upcoming
events, contact the Visitor Center and even book a flight, car or hotel
room.
Seattle Southside plans to
continue to invest in search engine
optimization and online advertising
because of the proven success.
With an enhanced emphasis on
marketing packages and promotions
the goal is to improve the visitor
experience and create better tracking
methods.
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2012 INITIATIVES
GROUP PROMOTION
The 2010 ConFAM yielded national media attention and many group
leaders signed contracts with area hotels. Therefore, Seattle Southside
will host another military reunion ConFAM in April 2012.
Staff will also travel to
Nashville and Boston
to promote Seattle
Southside as a reunion
friendly destination.
Seattle Southside
will leverage existing
memberships with
organizations such as
NTA, PCMA and DMAI,
by building relationships
and offering groups concierge style services.
And finally Seattle Southside will host quarterly Southside FAM tours
to highlight local businesses, encourage cross promotions and build on
customer training programs.
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BUSINESS OUTREACH
In an effort to strengthen business relationships, Seattle Southside will
host educational forums to encourage business partners to utilize the
Southside Business Toolkit
and tap into the lucrative
visitor market generated by
Seattle Southside’s marketing
and sales efforts.
WorldHost training, a first
class customer service
training will be offered in
partnership with Highline
Community College.
Participation is strongly
encouraged because this
training is essential to help
the region become even more
visitor friendly.
And Seattle Southside will
continue to work with and
build upon local, regional and
national alliances. These relationships are crucial for the success of
upcoming events such as the 2012 Olympic Dive Trials, 2015 US Open
Championship and putting Seattle Southside on the radar for hosting
visitors at these and future events.
11
Lodging Tax Committee Members
Tukwila
SeaTac
Kent
Des Moines
Alan Ekberg
City Council
President
Maureen
Huffman
Embassy Suites
Terry Anderson
Mayor
Les Thomas
Council Member
Bob Sheckler
Mayor
Frank Welton
DoubleTree &
Hilton Hotels
Barbara Smith
Kent Downtown
Partnership
Tajinder Chahal
SeaTac Valu Inn
Jeff Hart
Seattle Airport
Marriott
David Kwok
Kent Hampton Inn
Mikel Hansen
Sabey
Corporation
Michael
Schabbing
Southcenter
Courtyard by
Marriott
Mike Miller
Rainforest Cafe
Miesa Berry
Homewood
Suites
Andy Ciarrocchi
Westfield
Southcenter
Tom Dezutter
DoubleTree
Suites
Kelly McMeekin
Albert Lee
Appliances
12
Roger
McCracken
McCracken &
Associates
Cathy Heiberg
Boysen &
Boysen, LLC
Nancy Hinthorne
SW King County
Chamber
Jerry Stotler
Coast Gateway
Hotel
Pat Baker
Alaska Airlines
Naomi Ishikawa
Radisson
Caroline Curtis
BMI Hospitality
Vickie Molzer
Peninsula Group
Photo by Long Nguyen
Andrew
Hutchinson
Best Western
Beth Sylves
ShoWare Center
Aaron Watne
TownPlace Suites
John Casey
Curran Law Firm
Dianne
Jacobson
CorkyCellars
Jane Ipsen
Landmark Event
Center
GET STAMPED &
ENTER TO WIN!
[1] Tour the booths! Tour the Seattle Southside booths
located around the ballroom including Des Moines,
Kent, SeaTac and Tukwila.
[2] Get ‘em stamped! While visiting each booth, have
your books stamped in the marks designated
for each city.
[3]
Collect your raffle ticket! After visiting all four booths,
take your passbook to the designated area and collect
your raffle ticket to win a Sony® digital camera and
other great prizes.
[4] Drawing is at 6:30! The winners drawn need to be present to win.
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CITY OF TUKWILA
Tukwila, one of the largest
concentrations of retail business in
the Pacific Northwest, is home to
many wonderful visitor experiences.
GET THE
STAMP!
VISIT EACH BOOTH AND GET ST
A SONY CYBER-SHOT DIG
®
CITY OF SEATAC
Surrounding the SeattleTacoma International Airport,
the City of SeaTac is a vibrant
community, economically strong,
environmentally sensitive, and
visitor friendly.
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GET THE
STAMP!
CITY OF KENT
Located in the heart of the Green River
Valley, the City of Kent has breathtaking
views, rich cultural heritage, old-world
charm and new-world delights.
GET THE
STAMP!
AMPED FOR A CHANCE TO WIN
ITAL CAMERA, AND MORE!
CITY OF DES MOINES
Known as “The Waterland City,”
Des Moines is located along the
Puget Sound. A boater’s paradise,
the city is the perfect blend of
natural beauty and small-town
appeal.
GET THE
STAMP!
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