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SUBJECTS › ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT › Developing Local Government Tourism Industry
Updated 06/09

Developing Local Government Tourism Industry

Contents

About Tourism

Tourism is an important industry in Washington state. It is said to be the fastest growing industry in the country, and it is Washington's third largest industry. This is reflected in the increasing dollars generated for the economy and the heightened interest local communities have in developing a tourist industry.

Some general observations are presented about the characteristics of tourism on Washington counties in Dean Runyan Associates Travel Data for Washington  and Washington State Travel Impacts. 

Planning for Tourism

Tourism planning requires strong community support. Residents must be willing to cater to tourists and provide settings and experiences that are attractive to the traveling public. The community should have amenities, attractions and/or destinations around which to build a tourism strategy. Roger Brooks, of Destination Development, emphasized the importance of catering to visitors in his remarks at a recent planning conference [Washington's Tourism Industry: A powerful Economic Engine, at Planning & Preservation: New Tools for Managing Growth, September 24-25, 1998, Spokane] :

  • Quality is more important than money - but visitors still expect value
  • Convenience is mandatory
  • Curb appeal is critical: It can be a primary drawing card ... or a detractor
  • Quality: accommodations, dining, shopping, attractions
  • Attractive curb appeal, landscaping
  • Pedestrian-oriented activities
  • Things to see and do: Are they convenient?
  • Available visitor services

Planning for Tourism - Marketing Plans

Planning for Tourism References

  • Economic Development through Growth Management, (Department of Community Development, 1994) outlines requirements for tourism which include: community acceptance, recreation amenities, cultural amenities, other attractions and destinations, lodging, retail, services, accessibility, infrastructure, and unskilled/semi-skilled labor pool. MRSC Library Loan.
  • 25 Immutable Rules of Successful Tourism, Roger Brooks, President, Destination Development, AWC 2003 Annual Conference Presentation
  • Promoting Tourism in Rural America - National Agricultural Library Rural Information Center
  • Criteria for Sustainable Tourism - Center for Sustainable Tourism, East Carolina University
  • Tourism and Amenity-Based Development in Rural Communities, Issue Brief, Rural Sociological Society, January 2006
  • Things! (Packaging of services and opportunities), by Fred  Fred Valley Visitors Bureau , Community and Economic Tool Box, joint collaboration between Cornell University and Penn State University and is maintained by the Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI) located at Cornell University
  • Tourism Business Development: "Packaging the Tool," by Andrew Nixon, Community and Economic Tool Box, joint collaboration between Cornell University and Penn State University and is maintained by the Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI) located at Cornell University
  • Tourism - Chapter 13 in Learning to Lead: A Primer on Economic Development Strategies (2.01 MB)(Community, Trade and Economic Development, 1999)

Organizing for Tourism

For smaller communities citizen involvement is the key to successful tourism. As with community visioning for the general planning process, the tourism goals and strategies need to be articulated. The Colorado Community Tourism Action Guide by Sara L. Richardson, lists 10 tips for getting organized.     

Tourism Advisory Committees

Lodging Tax Advisory Committees

    If a city with a population over 5,000 wishes to impose a new hotel-motel tax, raise the rate of an existing tax, repeal an exemption from the hotel-motel tax, or change the use of the tax proceeds, it must form a lodging tax advisory committee (see RCW 67.28.1817). Some cities designate the "Tourism Advisory Committee" as the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee or include planning among the duties of the lodging tax advisory committee. Examples listed below.

Contracting for Tourism Services - Sample Agreements -  Search MRSC  Document Library Data Base by checking Limit Search to Agreements/Contracts - suggested search terms:  tourism,  lodging, hotel, chamber of commerce,

Types of Tourism

Combining different kinds of tourism may produce successful results in creating tourist destinations. Convention business may be combined with offerings for family-oriented recreation facilities. The educational component of cultural attractions may be combined with other recreational or entertainment destinations. The sites and facilities illustrated in this section are presented as a few examples. There are other types of tourism not listed here that might be considered such as agricultural tourism and wine tourism.

Financing Tourism

  • Chapter 67.28 RCW - Stadium, Convention, Arts and Tourism Facilities authorizes municipalities to impose taxes on lodging facilities under this chapter and acquire and operate tourism-related facilities.
  • Hotel-Motel Taxes (  127 KB), presentation of State Auditor, at Lodging Tax Workshop on July 28, 2004
  • Ch. 28, Laws of 2008 (SHB 3206)  amends 2007 legislation (ESSB 5647).  Beginning with calendar year 2008, a local jurisdiction that uses lodging tax revenues for tourism-related purposes must submit an annual economic impact report to the Washington State Deptartment of Commerce (formerly CTED).  See MRSC 2009 Budget Suggestions  and AWC Lodging Tax Reporting Forms Page
  • Transient lodging tax update from MRSC's Revenue Guide (Adobe Acrobat Document 75 KB)  Scroll to bottom of page
  • AGO 2006 No. 4 - Authority of municipality to allocate lodging tax revenues to facilities in which the municipality has no ownership interest.
  • Lodging Tax, by Brian Sonntag State Auditor, July 28, 2006

Tourism Promotion Areas

  •  Ch.35.101 RCW  - Amended by Ch. 442 Laws of 2009  ( 10 KB) - The restriction on forming a tourism promotion area in a county with a population above one  million is removed. The legislative authority for such a county is comprised of two or more jurisdictions acting under an interlocal agreement to jointly establish and operate a tourism
    promotion area. The legislative authority must contract with the Department prior to the  effective date of the ordinance for administration and collection of the lodging charge. Final Bill Report ( 74 KB)
  • Clark County Tourism Promotion Area - Clark County and Vancouver
  • Pierce County Resolution No. 2009-32 ( 168 KB) - Notice of Intent to Establish and Tourist Promotion Area, 5-09 - Tacoma, DuPont, Fife, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Puyallup, Sumner, and unincorporated areas of Pierce County
  • Spokane County Tourism Promotion Area
  • Tri-Cities Tourism Promotion Area  - Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco
    • Richland Ordinance No. 17-04 ( 632 KB) establishing a tourism promotion area and authorizing an interlocal agreement with Kennewick and Pasco, provides for administration, and designates the Tri-Cities Visitors and Convention Bureau as Manager, 6-04
    • Kennewick Municipal Code Ch.  3.25  ( 7 KB)- Special Lodging Tax
  • Yakima County Tourism Promotion Area -  Yakima, the Selah, Union Gap, and the unincorporated area of Yakima County
    • Yakima Municipal Code  Ch. 5.99 - Tourist Promotion Area

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