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October/November Newsletter

WTA UPDATE 
Mike Moe, Associate Director 

The 2017 Washington Tourism Summit and Day in Olympia has been scheduled for January 24th at The Washington Center for Performing Arts in downtown Olympia. The Summit will be combined with a Tourism Works lobby day on the hill.

We are excited to announce Roger Dow, the President and CEO of the US Travel Association as the keynote speaker for the Summit. Since 2005, Roger has led the US Travel Association and has been instrumental in transforming the organization into one of the most effective industry associations in the country.

As our members and industry partners know, a legislative task force has been meeting regularly throughout the second half of 2016 to develop our long-term funding plan that will be presented as legislation during the 2017 congressional session. This task force includes legislators from both the House and Senate and each of the political caucuses, as well as WTA board members.

The morning session will include legislative members of the task force from both sides of the aisle who will provide an update on our legislative plan. The morning will also include a “Grassroots Rally for Success”. You will learn how to mobilize your community to help pass this important legislation and gain the tools to successfully lobby your legislators. We will make afternoon appointments with your legislators so you can urge them to support the tourism industry and the new WTA legislation.

Please join us for an evening reception in the Legislative Meeting Room at the Governor Hotel. Please note that this year’s reception is at the hotel, not the Governor’s Mansion as it has been in previous years. The reception will feature Washington Wine and hors d’oeuvres.

If you registered for the October 14th summit, your registration will roll over to the rescheduled event.

There is no need to re-register. If you registered and can’t make the rescheduled event, please contact Diana Thibado at diana@watourismalliance.com to transfer your registration or to receive a full refund.

If you haven’t registered, please click here for more details. We hope that you can join us in January and stay tuned for more details to come on this exciting event!

WHAT DO THE ELECTIONS MEAN FOR TOURISM LEGISLATION?

Becky Bogard and Kathryn Hedrick  
As WTA moves forward in formulating a proposal for statewide tourism marketing, it is important to take stock of the impact of the 2016 elections for executive and legislative positions.
 
For the most part, the results of the statewide elections are settled. However, there are still some legislative races that are in doubt and they may affect the composition of the legislature.
On the statewide races, the results are as follows:
  • Governor – Jay Inslee (D)
  • Lt. Governor – Cyrus Habib (D)
  • Secretary of State – Kim Wyman (R)
  • Treasurer – Duane Davidson (R)
  • Attorney General – Bob Ferguson (D)
  • State Auditor – Pat McCarthy (D)
  • Commissioner of Public Lands – Hilary Franz (D)
  • Superintendent of Public Instruction – Chris Reykdal (Non-Partisan)
  • Insurance Commissioner – Mike Kreidler (D)
In the state Senate, it appears the majority will remain with the Majority Coalition Caucus (made of 24 Republicans and one Democrat). There is still one race in doubt. Incumbent 5thdistrict Democrat Mark Mullet leads his challenger, Chad Magendanz by about 1100 votes.
There will be a new senator appointed to replace the late Sen. Andy Hill. This person has to be the same party as Sen. Hill who was a Republican. Additionally, there will be a new senator appointed to replace Sen. Pam Roach, who was elected to the Pierce County Council, a full time job. The appointment will also be a Republican. On the Democratic side, there will be a new senator to replace Sen. Habib, who is now the Lt. governor. There will also be a new senator to replace Pramila Jayapal who was elected to Congress.
There will be some changes in committee chairs. It is anticipated that Sen. John Braun (R, Centralia) will replace Sen. Hill as chair of Ways and Means. There will also be a new chair of the Senate Education Committee.
In the state House of Representatives, there are several races still in doubt that, depending on the outcome, could impact the majority. The pre-election balance is 50 Democrats and 48 Republicans. Democrats lost a seat in the 31st district (Auburn) but appear to have picked up two seats in 30th district (Federal Way). In the 19th district (Longview, Grays Harbor, Pacific County), the Democrat, who lead by 86 votes, is now behind and will probably loose. What this all means is that the House will most likely be 50-48, the same as the current makeup.
The House may reduce the number of committees, and there may be some changes in current committee chairs. Reorganization efforts in the House begin this coming Friday, November 18. This will include determining the committee structure and assigning members to committees.
It doesn’t really seem like the elections will make many changes that will impact tourism legislation. Many of our advocates got re-elected. Some moved from the House to the Senate. The balance of power in and between the two houses of the legislature is virtually the same.
Progress to date.
The discussions of the tourism working group continue. While there seems to be general agreement on the structure and content of a statewide tourism marketing program, there is still not consensus on how to fund the effort. Many ideas have been discussed and undoubtedly will continue to be discussed as the legislative session progresses. There will be a working group conference call on November 21 to discuss options further and to try to come to a consensus or at least agree on a place to start. More details of the legislative proposal will be available by the end of the year, if not before.

2017 EXPERIENCEWA EMAIL SLOTS ARE GOING FAST!
Mike Moe 

As advertisers all over the state start to plan for next year, the ExperienceWA Monthly Email ads are already filling up. Every month we send out an email to our subscriber base that features two articles about different experiences throughout Washington. There are a number of ways to advertise in the monthly email, but only one headline Sponsor position. Half of the 12 sponsor slots have already been taken! If you are interested in sponsoring an email, don’t delay.
Our Custom Emails are also tremendously popular because these emails are all about you! Your business or organization gets 100% share-of-voice, which makes them extremely effective. These emails can be customized for a single story or you can team up with partners to make it a co-op. Again, these spots are already filling up. In 2017 we’ll send out three Custom Emails a month, and while each month still has at least one spot available, four months only have one left! If your strategy includes targeting specific months, reserve your spot as soon as possible.
If you want pricing or more information, click here for our Media Kit. To reserve your ExperienceWA Email ad space, call Mike Moe at 425-444-0589 or email him at mike@watourismalliance.com.

SUBMIT YOUR STORIES

Want to brag about something your destination was recently recognized for? Have news that impacts Washington State tourism? Please add the WTA to your distribution news list! We’re always looking for story ideas for the WTA monthly newsletter! To submit a story idea, email Diana Thibado at diana@watourismalliance.com.

 

WTA WELCOMES SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER MEMBERS