(urgent music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS9 newsroom.
(light music) The COVID-19 pandemic showed just how important tourism is to the state's economy.
According to a recent study, visitors spent $13 billion in the state in 2020, a 41% drop from the previous year.
State of Washington Tourism is the name of a nonprofit that will now lead the state's destination marketing efforts.
Armed with a $9 million budget, the organization launched a comprehensive state tourism strategy this year, one that was lacking for years after legislators closed Washington's tourism office in 2011.
The new strategy includes helping rural areas develop their tourism programs.
Meanwhile, individual communities are finding ways to generate tourism promotion dollars.
The Seattle City Council, for example, voted to double the city's hotel fee to increase Seattle's marketing budget.
I'm Starla Sampaco.
Find nonprofit Northwest news every day on crosscut.com.
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