On the road: Tourism in Washington remains vital to state’s economy

EASTERN WASHINGTON — Tourism in eastern Washington may have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, much like the rest of the state and the rest of the world, but it is recovering quicker than western Washington, said Michelle Thana, Director of Marketing with State of Washington Tourism (SWT). “You have a little bit different patterns of visitation in Eastern Washington,” said Thana. “You don’t necessarily have the numbers that are coming in from Seattle, but it’s growing and that’s also where a lot of the potential for growth and tourism is – east of the Cascades.” Speaking more broadly, about Washington state as a whole, Thana said that tourism is very important to the state’s economy, as it makes up the state’s fourth largest industry, but this does not mean that tourism in Washington is well funded.