Visit Seattle & Intentionalist Partner to Support Diverse Local Businesses
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Visit Seattle and Intentionalist are joining forces to elevate Seattle's diverse small businesses and create a more inclusive tourism experience.
Visit Seattle’s Partnership with the Intentionalist and Seattle Bank
Visit Seattle and Intentionalist have partnered to amplify and support small businesses and diverse local communities in the Seattle region, a goal that intersects with the missions of these organizations. Intentionalist is an online directory and marketplace of more than 3,000 local restaurants, bars, gyms, shops, and more, owned by women, people of color, veterans, LGBTQ, families, and differently-abled people. Visit Seattle is uniquely positioned to highlight the cultural diversity and vibrancy of Seattle’s neighborhoods and encourage visitors to explore different areas of the city.
In 2022 and 2023, Visit Seattle partnered with Seattle Bank and Intentionalist to support BIPOC-owned businesses, situated in or near Seattle's Chinatown-International District, Central District, Capitol Hill, and First Hill neighborhoods. By actively promoting these businesses, the program sought to boost tourism and drive foot traffic.
Seattle Bank sponsored Visit Seattle annual membership dues for 20 locally owned businesses in its first year and sixteen businesses in the second year. Visit Seattle and Seattle Bank also sponsored $250 tabs at each participating business through Intentionalist. Through these tabs, visitors had the opportunity to enjoy a taste of each business by placing orders until the $250 limit was reached. Seattle Bank also provided complimentary financial consulting services to each participating business.
Visit Seattle provided social media, content on visitseattle.org, e-newsletter promotion, and integration into various campaigns and events throughout the year. The program was also featured in Visit Seattle’s semi-annual Official Visitor Guides which have an annual distribution of roughly 300K copies. Social posts across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter generated 409.3K impressions and 4,833 engagements.
Visit Seattle’s Public Relations team has worked closely with Intentionalist to lead tours with national media visiting on press trips and they have facilitated interviews with Intentionalist representatives. These trips have provided media with an opportunity to meet local business owners, listen to their stories, and
explore distinctive Seattle neighborhoods.
"Seattle’s diverse neighborhoods and small businesses are the essence of our city, and we firmly believe that exploring and experiencing these establishments should be at the heart of every visitor's journey. It is imperative that we sustain this initiative that reflects the values of our community," says President and CEO, Visit Seattle, Tammy Canavan.
Visit Seattle’s Community Partnership Program
In the spring of 2022, Visit Seattle launched a Community Marketing Partnership with fiscal sponsor, Global Real Estate and Facilities, with the intent to bring more visibility and visitors to the South Lake Union neighborhood. As part of this annual partnership, Visit Seattle is providing marketing benefits to ten South Lake Union restaurants and retail businesses as well as additional enhanced marketing assets for the neighborhood.
In 2023, Visit Seattle partnered with Seattle Bank to extend the same kind of support to another cohort of businesses. Sixteen BIPOC-owned businesses were chosen, situated in or near Seattle's Capitol Hill and First Hill neighborhoods. By actively promoting these businesses, the program seeks to boost tourism and drive foot traffic, including individuals attending meetings and events at the recently opened Convention Center Summit building, which is expected to attract an influx of visitors to the area.
Each business benefits from direct promotional support through Visit Seattle's extensive channels and editorial content, gaining access to leads and referrals generated by Visit Seattle to encourage leisure visitors, business travelers, and meeting attendees to patronize their establishments.
Furthermore, businesses receive comprehensive collateral and toolkits to leverage for promotional purposes. In addition, Seattle Bank provides complimentary financial consulting services to each participating business.
The Destination Effect is a joint initiative by Destinations International and Tempest. To share your destination's success story, please email join@destinationeffect.com.
