NEWS & INITIATIVES

SEATTLE / KING COUNTY

March 27-28 - Seattle and Vancouver CVBs Convene. The boards of directors of Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau and Tourism Vancouver met in Seattle to continue discussions of joint tourism and sports promotions between the two cities. The boards of each CVB voted unanimously to form a study group to examine the viability of jointly bidding on major events such as the 2018 World Cup of soccer, 2020 World's Fair and 2028 Summer Olympics.

April 18 - Susan Shannon, Mayor Nickels' recent appointee to head the Office of Economic Development, and SCVB recently signed the 2007 contract for services which includes a 12 percent increase over 2006. In late March, a $50,000 contract to study a new downtown visitor center was also executed between the city and the bureau. Both items had been approved in the 2007 budget passed by the Seattle City Council and approved by Mayor Nickels.

May 5 - SAM Re-opens. The Seattle Art Museum's 300,000-square-foot expansion opened to the public, boasting new gallery and public space, a new restaurant, expanded museum store and infrastructure for future growth.

June 11 - Air France Lands at Sea-Tac. Daily non-stop service between Seattle and Paris inaugurates. A 219-passenger Airbus A-330-200 will serve the route. SCVB, the Port of Seattle and Washington State Tourism will cooperatively market Seattle/Washington State to the French market.

June 15 (tentative) - Citywide Concierge & Visitor Center to Relocate. SCVB will relocate its popular Citywide Concierge & Visitor Center to a more prominent location within the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. Tentative plans call for the new location, in the upper Pike Street lobby, to be open for business in mid- to late-June. The center will operate in its current location until then. Proposed new features will include real-time displays of Sea-Tac flight information and self-service flight check-in kiosks (to be added at a later date).

June 22 - Seattle Aquarium Expansion Opens. An 18,000-square-foot expansion of the Seattle Aquarium will feature the new Window on Washington Waters exhibit with a 120-foot viewing window. The new, three-story Puget Sound Great Hall will add interactive kiosks, sea life art and conservation exhibits. The expansion will also include a new full-service café and gift store, more ticketing stations and viewing platforms. For more information, visit www.seattleaquarium.org.

July 4 - Aeromexico will inaugurate the first daily non-stop service between Sea-Tac and Mexico City with continuing service to Guadalajara. From Mexico City, travelers will be able to connect to major Mexican destinations including Acapulco, Oaxaca, Veracruz and others.

2007 Mayor's Small Business Awards Accepting Nominations
Seattle's small businesses make a significant contribution to the city's economic vitality and quality of life. Each year, the Mayor's Small Business Awards honor ten recipients on the basis of excellence in management, entrepreneurial spirit, customer service and community involvement. The deadline for applications is July 18. Winners will be announced by the Mayor Greg Nickels at an awards ceremony at Town Hall on September 13. Anyone can nominate a small business. To request a nomination form, please contact Tinná White at the Office of Economic Development at 206-684-4008 or tinna.white@seattle.gov or download the form at www.seattle.gov/economicdevelopment/

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL
March 23 - Enhanced Driver License Studied as Passport Alternative. Washington State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) signed a Memorandum of Agreement to launch a pilot program that will enhance the security of state driver's licenses and potentially serve as an acceptable alternative document for crossing U.S. land and sea borders. Leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Washington State tourism industry leaders hope this is the first of many new initiatives that will help smooth U.S.-Canadian border crossings.

NEWS FROM OLYMPIA
Governor Gregoire signed into law the milestone SHB 1276 tourism bill (now known as chapter 228, laws of 2007) on April 30 in Olympia. Proposed by Governor Gregoire and sponsored by Rep. Kelli Linville (D-Bellingham), the new law provides a much-needed $4.5 million annual increase in state tourism marketing funds. The Washington State Convention & Trade Center (WSCTC) will provide these funds from hotel taxes generated by Seattle and King County hotel customers. The investment will be returned as new tourism business throughout the city, county and state.

In addition to providing new tourism marketing funds, SHB 1276 will allow the state's tourism industry to market smarter. A new Washington Tourism Commission within the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) will bring together both public and private sector tourism leaders from across the state and charge them with creating a six-year statewide strategic plan for tourism development. The commission will be co-chaired by CTED director Juli Wilkerson or her designee and one other state tourism industry member. The new law becomes effective July 22, 2007.

Equally important for state tourism growth is a provision in the biennial capital budget which facilitates the purchase and redevelopment by the WSCTC of between 50,000 and 60,000 additional square feet of meeting space adjacent to its current facility. With the Museum of History and Industry's announcement to relocate to South Lake Union, the previously-identified "MOHAI space" is now available - and is the last place the convention center can expand. WSCTC is now the smallest big-city convention center on the West Coast. Competing convention markets such as San Diego, Denver, San Francisco and others have completed major expansions within the past three years. The development of this additional space is crucial to the WSCTC's competitive position.