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 OUTLOOK ON TOURISM
A Message from Tom Norwalk, President & CEO,
Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau
Dear Tourism Supporter,
"Tourism matters." We in Seattle's tourism community issued that battle cry during National Tourism Week in May 2008 to inaugurate our first-ever tourism advocacy campaign.
The campaign's basic but powerful message has attracted voices from across Washington state — and across the U.S.
 On March 9, Tourism Day in Olympia, coordinated by the Washington State Destination Marketing Association (WSDMO), kicked off the official statewide expansion of the campaign.
More than 250 tourism industry professionals from Spokane, Yakima Valley, Bellingham, Vancouver and other Washington communities joined Seattle's tourism team to converge on the state capitol to proclaim Why Tourism Matters.
In the weeks leading up to this year's National Travel and Tourism Week, May 9-17, the U.S. Travel Association has amplified our message at the national level: Travel Matters.
Our industry is united. We have a common message and many messengers at the city, state and national tourism industry levels. Tourism is economic development. Tourism is shovel-ready. And, now more than ever, Americans must keep traveling.
We invite you to lend your voice during National Travel and Tourism Week. On May 12, Seattle will join many cities across the U.S. in hosting rallies to proclaim Meetings Mean Business. The effort will combat the national decline in meetings business resulting from harmful corporate travel rhetoric following the AIG scandal and other recent events.
Stay tuned for details at www.whytourismmatters.com. The site also features the latest Why Tourism Matters campaign information, tourism statistics for Washington state and industry news and links to national initiatives. Much of the web site is dedicated to profiles of local tourism industry professionals, or "tourism ambassadors," who work on the frontlines and serve as the industry's face of tourism.
Best Regards,
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