Ballard Chamber to build tourism website with grant funds

Ballard Chamber is the recipient of one this year’s Port of Seattle grants awarded to support tourism across Washington.

The grants will fund nearly $100,000 in projects, from websites and advertising to booths at tourism fairs. The grants must be matched by the organization and used for publicizing and attracting visitors to their destinations.

With its grant, the Ballard Chamber of Commerce is planning to develop a new brand and website, www.visitballard.com, to provide a one-stop tourism resource about “all things Ballard.”

Chamber Executive Director Mike Stewart said the site will feature information about restaurants, shopping, services, and unique experiences, like a visit to the Ballard Locks, Fishermen’s Terminal, Shilshole Bay Marina, or Golden Gardens Park.

“By highlighting all of our unique attractions, including the new Nordic Heritage Museum opening in 2018, we hope to make Ballard a go-to destination, help secure new visitors, and give people who have already visited a reason to come back,” said Stewart.

The Port of Seattle has been encouraging tourists to extend their visits to the region by highlighting places across the state that offer interesting experiences. One goal is to entice some of the nearly one million annual Alaskan cruise passengers to “cruise and stay,” adding a few days on either end of their cruise to sight-see in Washington.