BUSINESS NEWS
Coast River Business Journal
June 2021 • 9
The sun sets while two visitors walk next to North Head Lighthouse
in April.
PHOTOS BY LUKE WHITTAKER
The Long Beach boardwalk is a popular spot to watch sunsets.
Shoppers browse the offerings on May 30 at the Ilwaco Saturday Market.
had in 2019 and combine it with the least
bad impact that we had in 2020, over those
two years combined that would actually
put us as the top county in the state,” Day
said. “That is a phenomenal accomplish-
ment that we should all celebrate and feel
really good about.”
She added she knows it’s been a tough
year and businesses are struggling, but
they also need to give themselves a lot of
credit.
Pacific County’s lodging tax collections
were at $1,322,159 in 2020, just about 2%
less than in 2019.
For the first quarter of 2021, lodging
tax collections have been 65% above the
same quarter in 2019 and 50% above the
same quarter in 2020.
“As we well know, anything could
happen but if we stay on this track we’re
going to come in well beyond any year
we’ve ever had,” Day said.
“It was amazing what everyone did
working together and maybe that’s the
key,” Day said. “Businesses, govern-
ment and residents all came together and
worked toward our common successes.”
The visitors bureau and the Pacific
County Tourism Bureau created a direct
booking portal online to help people
reserve lodging through a central place.
The organizations also plan to launch
a job posting portal to help address the
workforce shortages seen across multiple
industries.
David Blandford, the executive director
of the Washington Tourism Alliance, was
the guest speaker at the State of the Indus-
try meeting.
While Pacific County’s data was rel-
atively positive, Washington state’s was
another story. Tourism-related employ-
ment in the state dropped by 27% in 2020.
“Prior to COVID, the travel and tour-
ism industry led job growth in Washing-
ton state, but now through the pandemic
it’s dropped the farthest,” Blandford said.
“That shows it’s incredibly powerful. Our
industry is the fourth largest in the state
and if we can generate jobs we can regen-
erate the overall state economy.”
However, through grant programs, part-
nerships and workshops, the state is work-
ing on a destination development program
to support rural and underserved commu-
nities and small businesses.
Beachgoers watch a sunset near Bolstad Beach Approach in Long Beach.