A recent report conducted by Dean Runyan Associates for the Washington Tourism Alliance shows that visitor spending to Clark County in 2018 was more than $585 million — a 15.1 percent increase from 2017. Last year, Clark County saw an 8.5 percent increase from the previous year, and in 2016 visitor spending increased by 4.7 percent.
“While Phase 1 of the new Vancouver Waterfront didn’t officially open until the last quarter of 2018, the feedback and interest has been outstanding,” said Kim Bennett, president and CEO of Visit Vancouver USA. “These statistics are a bit staggering, but we knew the waterfront would make a positive impact for the local economy and attract more visitors. We are confident that the numbers will continue to grow as Vancouver becomes a must-visit destination for more people in the region.”
The report also revealed that travel-related employment was up 9 percent in Clark County, and total tax revenue from visitors equaled $52 million, an 8.6 percent increase from 2017.
