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economic impact is more than double that of the last MLB All-Star Game held in Seattle back in 2001 .
“ We ’ ll be at capacity at T-Mobile Park , with more than 47,000 fans at both the All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby ,” Saling said . “ We also expect over 100,000 people to attend the other events throughout the week , including Play Ball Park . These are people staying in our hotels , eating in our restaurants and shopping in our stores .”
The economic benefits will extend beyond Seattle to the surrounding region . Many visitors will stay in neighboring cities , and others will take the opportunity to explore close attractions like Mount Rainier or the San Juan Islands .
“ All-Star Week will absolutely impact the regional economy . It ’ s the ‘ rising tide floats all boats ’ concept , and when downtown is as full as it will be , nearby communities will be dramatically affected ,” said Saling .
the revitalization of downtown
Rachel Smith , president and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce , was part of a delegation that traveled to Los Angeles for the 2022 All-Star Week . The members of the group , which also included representatives from the Mariners , Visit Seattle and the Seattle Sports Commission as well as civic leaders such as the mayor , police chief and fire chief , wanted to get a firsthand look at what to expect so they could apply what they learned as they planned for 2023 .
“ A couple of things stood out to me . One , unlike LA , our stadiums are right in the heart of our downtown . That creates a huge amount of opportunity ,” Smith said . “ Two , it is critical that we have a clean
“ We ’ ll be at capacity at T-Mobile Park , with more than 47,000 fans at both the All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby . We also expect over 100,000 people to attend the other events throughout the week , including Play Ball Park . These are people staying in our hotels , eating in our restaurants and shopping in our stores .”
— Kelly Saling , Visit Seattle
and shiny city as we prepare to welcome so many people . I can ’ t underscore the importance of that enough .”
Like many downtowns across the country , downtown Seattle was hit hard by the pandemic . Many restaurants and stores shuttered as offices closed and employees began working from home , and the area saw a rise in homelessness and crime . Things are turning around , however . More than 130 new businesses opened downtown in 2022 , and violent crime decreased by 18 % between 2019 and 2022 .
“ We had a near-record visitor season last summer , and we have the highest number of residents living downtown than we ’ ve ever had , even prior to the pandemic ,” said Jon Scholes , president and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association . “ We continue to make progress in addressing safety , security and the crisis of homelessness . We ’ re in a better position today than we were a year ago , and we ’ ll be in an even better position in July than we are today .”
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