Globe St: Amazon’s RTO policy is driving foot traffic up in Seattle

Just weeks after Amazon required employees to return to the office full-time, foot traffic in downtown Seattle is surging.

Downtown Seattle recently recorded the second-highest daily average for weekday worker foot traffic since March 2020, according to data released by the nonprofit Downtown Seattle Association and reported by the Seattle Times. The city welcomed two million unique visitors last month, which represents 94% of the visitors the area saw in January 2019.

DSA president Jon Scholes said Amazon’s decisions have a significant impact on the city as its largest employer. Demand for hotel rooms has increased 5% year-over-year, and the number of occupied apartment units increased 4% in January. About 50,000 people work in Amazon’s Seattle locations, as well as 14,000 in Bellevue and 2,000 in Redmond.