Visit Spokane reports $1.5 billion in visitor spending, 84,500 contracted room‑nights in 2024

Visit Spokane provided a marketing and economic update to the committee, describing the organization’s role in promoting the destination and giving preliminary metrics for 2024.

"It's a $1,500,000,000 industry in Spokane County, and it actually supports just under 18,000 jobs," the presenter (Rose, Visit Spokane) told the committee and said Visit Spokane had 2,000,000 unique website users in the reporting year, up about 500,000 from the prior year. Staff said Visit Spokane contracted 84,500 room nights in 2024 (up from 63,000 in 2019), signaling recovery in convention sales.

Visit Spokane reported about $8,000,000 in earned media value in 2024 — coverage that staff said would have cost that amount if purchased as paid advertising — and said the organization is collaborating with small businesses, arts and cultural partners, the airport and state tourism to promote the region. Staff said leisure campaigns included targeted Canadian promotion and early international outreach, and that Visit Spokane has rebranded and used reserves for strategic marketing initiatives.

The presenter noted partnerships with local nonprofits and community groups (for example, marketing support and in‑kind services for events) and said Visit Spokane would present a formal community impact report at its annual meeting. Staff offered to work with council district offices on district‑level reporting and to coordinate on event recruitment and guidance for event organizers who are not seasoned planners.