Congratulations to Visit Bellevue and the City of Redmond on securing a major funding win for their cities! The Bellevue-Redmond Tourism Promotion Area (BRTPA) ordinance was officially adopted on Monday, February 13th. This agreement between the two cities would set up the BRTPA for a total of five years. All lodging businesses in the BRTPA will be charged an assessment of $2.50 per room per night, funds being kept separately between the two cities. It is estimated to bring in $3.5 million in the first year ($2.5 million from Bellevue and $1 million from Redmond), increasing year after year as tourism is promoted within the area. The collection of the fees will begin this July.
These funds will infuse the destination with sustainable funding to be competitive with comparable destinations by generating demand for the destination through Convention Sales, Visitor Marketing Programs, Public Relations & Innovative Communications programming.
“Passage of the tourism promotion area is a major step forward for our destination. Bellevue, WA is one of the fastest growing premier cities in North America, and this will provide us new resources to welcome the world”, says Brad Jones, Executive Director of Visit Bellevue.
We were delighted to support Brad Jones and the Visit Bellevue team in this significant win. We know these additional funds will allow Bellevue and Redmond to continue to grow and thrive as premier destinations.
