The Yakima Convention Center celebrated a very successful 2011. The facility hosted 554 event days last year, a 14% increase over 2010. Attendance to the events increased 17% to 149,543, breaking the attendance record of 143,800 set in 2006.  In its inaugural year, the new Outdoor Plaza at the center had 27 groups utilizing the space. The Yakima Convention Center is a major driving force in tourism for Yakima County and is a cornerstone for downtown revitalization efforts.

Ebey's Landing on Whidbey Island is the first national historic reserve in the United States, and the only one of its kind.  This month a proposal to designate the community of Joshua Tree, California as a national conservation and historic reserve was met with approval - and the project is being modeled completely after Ebey's.  Whidbey and Camano Islands are also home to nine state parks, including Deception Pass State Park and its iconic bridge,  which is one of the most visited and most photographed places in Washington state.  Parks are a draw for tourism, and changes to the Discover Pass to allow two vehicles in the same family to share a pass would benefit the islands' economy.

Stakeholders of Visit Rainier learned about why Tourism Matters in Washington State at their 2^nd Annual Summit. Partners from around "The Mountain" gained important knowledge about how to leverage precious resources for improved economic benefit in the Mt. Rainier Region. Key partners such as Mt. Rainier National Park identified opportunities to achieve our common goals. The unified effort in marketing has helped to enhance this destination by providing one of the best visitor experiences in our amazing state.

Visit Bellevue Washington

Visit Bellevue Washington delivered the first annual Bellevue Visitor Guide to Bellevue hotels and other distribution points at retail centers and City Hall on February 1. The guide is also available at www.visitbellevuewashington.com for on-line reading or download. The guide complements the destination's website that serves potential visitors and convention planners, by providing a comprehensive Visitor Guide that provides information about things to see and do while staying in Bellevue.

We believe this publication is the kind of magazine that hotel guests will consult while they are here or take home with them to help them plan their next visit. And, we encourage Bellevue residents to share it with visiting friends and family to help them discover our city. 

The 2012 Vancouver USA Regional Visitors Guides are now available in both print and digital versions. With a distribution of 75,000, cases of the guides have been shipped to visitor centers, hotels, and area attractions throughout the Northwest as well as to individuals around the country that have requested a copy online. This year's version, featuring interviews with local residents, suggested itineraries, improved maps, and bold images, truly captures the spirit of Vancouver USA and aids in our mission to increase the amount of visitors that travel to our area.

Staff with the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center have named ALSC Architects of Spokane to design the 15,000 square foot facility. The Clore Center, located in Prosser, will promote the quality and diversity of Washington State wine and food through education and hands-on experience.  Designed to complement its natural surroundings, the center will offer several indoor and outdoor venues including a tasting room, demonstration kitchen, agriculture and viticulture exhibits, classrooms, conference rooms, office space, retail shop, instructional vineyards, interpretive and production gardens and a walkway along the Yakima River.

Tacoma + Pierce County are welcoming several large groups to the area in the first quarter of 2012: Meeting Professionals International's [MPI] Cascadia Educational Conference, the Washington State Republican Convention and the Mother Earth News Fair. These three events combined are expected to bring more than 16,000 attendees to the region. With the Destination Marketing Association International's [DMAI] Event Impact Calculator, the Tacoma Regional CVB has calculated the potential economic benefit of these events. Combined, they will generate an estimated total of $6,572,701 in direct business sales, $452,344 in net local tax return on investment [ROI] and support more than 3,100 direct persons employed.

Snohomish County Tourism Bureu

Road to London goes through Everett: Top International Gymnasts will Compete in Everett, Wash., as part of their journey to 2012 Summer Olympics

More than 300 of the world's top gymnasts will head to Everett, Wash., for the 2012 Kellogg's® Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships, March 16-18, at Comcast Arena at Everett. This biannual international gymnastics competition provides a stage for Olympic hopefuls to hone their skills and artistic routines prior to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.  The three-day event is expected to feature athletes from more than 14 countries, including Canada, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, competing in men's, women's and rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline. The line-up of U.S. gymnasts as well as international athletes for the Kellogg's® Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships will be announced in coming weeks. For more competition information, go to www.usagym.org/events.  Special athlete appearances and community events are in development and details will be posted on www.Snohomish.org as they are confirmed.

Seattle Southside

According to Dean Runyan Associates, in 2011 travelers to Seattle Southside spent $592.1 million in our community. Travel spend directly generated nearly $57 million in local and state tax revenues and employed 5,010 people in tourism related jobs. Tourism is a vital investment in our local economy. Visitor spending in Seattle Southside supports our community and helps us reinvest those dollars into becoming a more desirable travel destination and an even greater place to live, work and play.