July 29, 2014Study: WA Rec Industry Not Creating Tourism Boom
Interest in traveling to Seattle has dipped slightly despite the start of recreational cannabis sales earlier this month, according to a new study.
The travel website Hopper analyzed billions of online search queries from consumers looking to book trips around the world.
It found that interest in trips to Seattle fell about 2% in the week after the first recreational stores opened in the state vs. the same period a year earlier. Retail sales kicked off in Washington on July 8, and some observers expected a flood of cannabis-seeking tourists from nearby states and even Canada.
By comparison, Hopper?s study found that travel interest in Denver has ballooned 20% since Jan. 1, when recreational sales began in Colorado.
The study only examines general travel inquiries ? not actual bookings. And it doesn?t break down why travelers are interested in a particular location.
So it?s unclear how many tourists have actually visited either state mainly to purchase marijuana.
But it does offer a peek at how cannabis is ? or isn?t ? affecting overall travel.
Hopper speculated that some marijuana tourists avoided Seattle because of its well-publicized shortage of cannabis and the fact that very few stores have opened in the city.
It also said that the price of recreational marijuana is $5 to $10 higher in Washington State than in Colorado, which could be driving more tourists to the latter. Additionally, average airfares to Denver are significantly cheaper than those to Seattle.
Hopper said that interest in travel to Portland, Oregon, has risen by 6%, which ?suggests Washington?s sluggish performance is not due to a general decline in travel interest to the Northwest.?