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In Our View: Wish You Were Here

Tourism is growing in Clark County, and it has a vast impact on the economy

The Columbian
Published: April 24, 2016, 6:03am

As an hour or so in front of the television can demonstrate, this is tourism season. California urges the rest of the country to “Find yourself here.” Las Vegas reminds us that “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” And Utah wants us to “Take the Road to Mighty.” We aren’t quite sure what that one means, but we’re fairly certain it beats Australia’s old slogan: “Where the bloody hell are you?”

Drawing tourists is big business these days, with cities, counties, and states distilling their attributes to pithy slogans and incessant TV commercials in an effort to seduce people into visiting and leaving behind some of their money. So it is worth mentioning that Clark County saw a 5.1 percent increase in spending by visitors in 2015 when compared with 2014. According to the annual Washington State Travel Impacts and Visitor Volume report, that amounted to $504 million last year and marked the sixth consecutive year of tourism growth for the county.

“Vancouver has steadily built up an impressive array of new developments and vibrant attractions both in the downtown core and on the east side,” said Kim Bennett, president and CEO of Visit Vancouver USA.

Of course, Vancouver has a few things working against it in the race to attract visitors. It competes against a major city that sits just across the river, and it has trouble making a name for itself because of that other Vancouver to the north. But the region also has some undeniable attractions, such as the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site — which earns a place on numerous lists of places where people can act touristy — and many opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Those attractions have a vast impact on the local economy. The travel impact report says visitors generated $135 million in job earnings in Clark County, supporting a workforce of 4,450 and providing about $46 million in local and state taxes. A big chunk of that comes from the food service industry, which has nearly doubled over the past 10 years in terms of attracting dollars from people outside the county.

And while all of this is interesting and is essential to a thriving community, it also begs the question of what Clark County can do to attract additional spending from tourists and visitors. Tourism has become a competitive industry, and projecting an image of a vital, thriving, creative community that is worth visiting can pay dividends.

For example, the American Planning Association emphasizes the impact that local parks can have on tourism, noting, “Parks provide sites for special events and festivals that attract tourists.” For Vancouver, the development of Esther Short Park provided the city with a living room that invites visitors to festivals and gatherings throughout the summer, undoubtedly contributing to a tourism windfall.

For another example, the International City/County Management Association stresses the need for communities to beautify themselves: “Beautification can help draw tourists to your community and make your community into a memorable destination.”

And for another example, many experts in the field stress the need for effective online marketing through apps and social media. The VisitVancouverUSA.com website includes an easily accessible “Top 10 reasons to visit” portal and has a 2-minute video about “How to Vancouver.”

Or, of course, Vancouver could just simply come up with a pithy slogan. But we would recommend not using “Where the bloody hell are you?”

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