Thousands of Vancouver-area residents will seek solace away from the Olympic games this February.
And the Puget Sound tourism industry wants those Olympics-weary escapees to head south for a few weeks in February.
The Snohomish County Tourism Bureau is encouraging local hotels and resorts to offer special Olympics packages for the duration of the Games. The Tulalip Resort Casino has a gold package that includes deluxe accommodations for the entire span of the Games for $2,010.
The lobby of the Tulalip Resort Hotel. (Herald file photo)
“The traffic is going to be rather halting throughout the Vancouver market once the games begin,” said Amy Spain, director of the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau. “Streets will be closed down, other streets will be open only to public transportation.”
Travel agents in Vancouver have reported a 30 percent jump in tips booked for February, according to Canadian travel associations.
And Craigslist.com is packed with listings from Vancouver-area residents looking to rent out their homes for 17-day duration of the Games. Prices for home rentals climb as high as $20,000 on the site.
Ticket sales for the Olympics have been heavily concentrated in the Northwest — meaning attendees won’t likely be stopping off in Snohomish County on their way north.
Next month, the Snohomish County tourism board will launch an advertising campaign aimed at enticing Canadians to make the two-hour drive to destinations in the Everett area. Ads will start to appear online and in The Vancouver Sun and The Province, touting the merits of Snohomish County as a quick late-winter getaway.
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