MUKILTEO — Don’t expect to see a deluge of advertisements for the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour this year unless you travel outside Washington state.
Although nearly one-third of the museum’s 186,625 visitors in 2007 came from Washington state, the Future of Flight hopes to increase its international and national tourist base. The center’s focus on visitors from other states and from overseas follows closely in line with Washington state’s tourism plan for 2008. A state tourism study shows these visitors on average inject more money into the local economy than do Washington tourists.
“We are thrilled that these overseas, Canadian and U.S. markets continue to grow,” said Barry Smith, executive director for the Future of Flight Foundation.
Attendance for the museum and tour increased overall by 26 percent in 2007 compared with 2006. The Future of Flight opened its doors for business in late 2005. Boeing independently had operated a tour of its widebody jet factory for the past 40 years.
The Future of Flight tracks its visitors, asking for ZIP code or country code information for tickets purchased online, said Sandy Ward, marketing director for the museum.
People traveling from states other than Washington make up the center’s largest customer base. Coming in a close second, Washingtonians comprise about 30 percent of the center’s attendance. Canadians are the most common international visitors to the museum — more than 13,000 in 2007 — with the Japanese and Germans ranking second and third.
International visitors, excluding Canadians, spend the most money each day during trips to the state, according to a state commissioned study by Dean Runyan Associates. The study suggests that overseas tourists fork over an average of $383 daily during vacations to Washington that last 12 days. Tourists from other states spend about $336 each of the four days they typically stay in Washington.
Considering that Washington visitors spend an average of $251 for essentially weekend-length stays, the Future of Flight and surrounding businesses would reap greater benefits from increased tourists traveling from outside the state. This is the same conclusion drawn by the state’s tourism office. The Future of Flight’s Sandy Ward serves on Washington’s Tourism Commission, which was established through legislation last April.
This year, the commission intends to highlight tourist destinations such as Mount St. Helens; Washington’s wine country; museums; and aviation-related attractions, including the Future of Flight. The commission will work with tourism contractors in places such as Japan, Germany and France to promote those Washington-based attractions. Potential tourists will be directed to the state’s tourism Web site, experiencewa.com.
That’s where guests will spot advertisements for the Future of Flight, Ward said. The museum will work in tandem with the tourism commission’s efforts to bring visitors to the Snohomish County-based center.
The Future of Flight Aviation Center is a public facility, funded in part by legislation that authorized the formation of the Snohomish County Public Facilities District and that allows the county to collect a retail sales tax rebate.
“As stewards of this public facility, we are keenly aware that outside money from high-value customers is absolutely key to driving increases in retail sales tax,” Smith said. “In addition to purchasing tickets to the Future of Flight and Boeing Tour, people from outside the area spend more money in restaurants, hotels and on retail purchases than people who live here.”
Tour groups also bring in a lot of people to the Future of Flight. About 14 percent of the center’s visitors are part of some kind of organized tour group, with many operators based out of Seattle.
The increase in visitors from foreign countries and other states has been attributed to some new nonstop flights at SeaTac, as well as the Alaska cruise market.
Air France and Aero Mexico added new service to Seattle midyear in 2007, which sparked jumps in visitors from France and Mexico. Service from Frankfurt to Seattle on Lufthansa in late March 2008 is expected to push Germany into a tie with Japan for the top overseas position at the Future of Flight. Proposed nonstop air service from Beijing to Seattle on Hainan Airlines is expected to boost travel from China as well.
Similar to the state tourism commission, the museum will look to increase visits from both Canadians and state residents during the offseason, when out-of-state visitation drops.
The 73,000-square-foot Future of Flight facility includes an aviation gallery with interactive exhibits and displays, a rooftop observation deck overlooking Paine Field, Boeing Tour Center, and conference and special event space. A cafe and two retail shops — the Future of Flight Store and the Boeing Store — operate in the building.
For more information on the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour, go to www.futureofflight.org.
Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
