Council approves tourism grant for Pacific Raceway NHRA Northwest Nationals 2025

The Finance/Economic Development/Regional Affairs Committee of Federal Way, Washington, convened on June 25, 2025, to discuss key tourism and economic development initiatives. A significant focus of the meeting was the impact of recent events on local hotel occupancy rates and the proposal for a tourism enhancement grant.

Committee members reviewed the success of the NHRA Northwest Nationals track race held at Pacific Raceways, which attracted over 20,000 attendees, including 4,500 participants. The event reportedly led to a surge in hotel bookings, with estimates suggesting that between 600 to 700 visitors stayed in local accommodations. The Courtyard by Marriott confirmed a block of rooms for the event, while other hotels noted increased occupancy, although tracking exact numbers proved challenging due to third-party bookings through platforms like Expedia.

Council member Zepeda Dawson highlighted the difficulty in assessing the full impact of such events on local tourism, as many attendees booked their stays through third-party vendors, complicating data collection. The committee acknowledged the need for more accurate tracking methods in the future to better understand the economic benefits of hosting large events.

In a decisive move, the committee voted to forward a proposed tourism enhancement grant recommendation for the NHRA Northwest Nationals to the consent agenda for approval on July 1, 2025. The motion passed unanimously, indicating strong support for initiatives aimed at boosting local tourism and economic growth.

The discussions underscored the importance of events like the NHRA Northwest Nationals in driving hotel occupancy and supporting the local economy, while also pointing to the need for improved data collection methods to maximize future tourism efforts.