Seattle is so many things to so many visitors – a thriving sports city, a foodie’s paradise, a magnet for fun festivals, an ideal choice for shoulder season travel and much more, says Caitlyn Shearer, Manager, Tourism Development for Visit Seattle in this edition of Take 5.
1. Seattle is a great sports city, for fans of hockey, football, baseball, basketball, FIFA and more. What info can you share for any travel agent (or their clients) interested in sports tourism to the city?
“Seattle is a city of fans – truly, we love our sports! Seattle is primed for sports tourism with (just about) every major team and league represented, from the iconic Seattle Seahawks to the lesser known, but very winning, Seattle Seawolves. The city buzzes with excitement on game day and before you set foot into one our state-of-the-art stadiums, the vibes (the music, the food, the drinks, the gear!) – it’s everywhere and makes for a truly special day. I love taking folks down into the Stadium District before a game and introducing them to a Seattle Dog. Cream cheese on a hot dog sounds strange but trust me, it’s a culinary masterpiece.“For agents, we have three dynamite options to dive deeper into any game day. Our newest arena, Climate Pledge Arena (CPA), is home to Seattle’s NFL hockey team, the Kraken, and WNBA team, the Storm. CPA also boasts a great tour option for those who love sports and music. For all thing Seahawks, Sounder and Reign, you can find stadium tours at Lumen Field. For an elevated experience, you can do a Seahawks game day, on the field, experience. Settle in the end zone during practice or hang out on the 50-yard line post game. And let’s not forget the Mariners! You can explore T-Mobile Park for a game day tour and learn all about the history of Seattle baseball.”
2. Seattle is also a foodie’s paradise. Where can people find more information about foodie tours of the city – and what are some of the signature must-have food and drink experiences in Seattle, and some of the best neighbourhoods for great dining?
“There are just so many tasty ways to explore Seattle. When you think of food, oftentimes people will think of the fresh produce and flying fish of Pike Place Market. Within the market, visitors can taste their way through with food tours courtesy of Savor Seattle Tours, Show Me Seattle, or elevate it with a market-to-table cooking class with Diane’s Market Kitchen or Atrium Kitchen. Eat Seattle Tours covers a wider neighbourhood range, including market options, including a recently rolled-out morning Coffee Crawl and, outside the market, their Happy Hour Tour in South Lake Union. All of this and more can be found here: https://visitseattle.org/food-drink/food-tours/
3. Lift is key when getting visitors into a destination. What can you tell us about routes into Seattle from Canada?
“There are so many options for the Canadian traveller! Out of Western B.C., travellers can hop on a float plane with Kenmore Air and Harbour Air. This option offers a unique experience, landing right in the heart of the city on Lake Union! If folks are looking for more traditional air travel options, we have nonstop flights out of Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto! These options are available via a handful of different carriers, including Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, Delta and WestJet.”
4. Shoulder season travel is increasingly popular for travellers looking to dodge crowds and maybe even score some great deals. When is the best time for Canadians to travel to Seattle, and are there any festivals and events they should be sure to check out?
“My favorite time of year in Seattle is, without a doubt, those shoulder seasons. Winter turning to spring, with beautiful blooms and festivals like the Tulip Festival in Tulalip. Then later in the year, when summer turns to fall, the leaves get crunchy and we welcome in music and art festivals like Bumbershoot and Refract! The temperatures are also wonderful for outdoor exploration! Visiting our state and national parks with tour operators, such as Evergreen Escapes, is a real treat.”
5. How does Visit Seattle work with travel advisors?
“We strive to make access to Seattle as easy as possible for our travel advisors. You can find resources, from tried-and-true tour options to our bi-annual travel guides, on our Travel Professionals site: https://visitseattle.org/travel-professionals/. And, because we love our neighbours to the north, we also have a Deals & Discounts page with fun Seattle opportunities just for the Canadian traveler: https://visitseattle.org/visitor-information/deals-discounts-for-canadian-visitors/.
“As far as programming, Visit Seattle is very fortunate to have great working relationships with Canadian trade partners, including Travelweek. We work to get the word out about Seattle with webinars – one is actually hitting the airwaves on May 2! And later in the year, Visit Seattle will actually be in-market, visiting those partners in October 2024, spreading the word about the Emerald City. As always, we are here to help, so email anytime!”
For more information see VisitSeattle.org
