The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - Getting tourists and travelers to the state, then across the mountains to eastern Washington will be one of the main goals for the state's new privatesector tourism alliance, its newly appointed director said Friday.

"This corner of the world (and state) is a diamond in the rough," said Suzanne Fletcher, who was appointed earlier this summer as the head of the Washington Tourism Alliance.

The state Legislature axed the last remaining funding for the government-run state tourism office. At $2 million in annual spending, the anemic effort was already far behind that of Washington's neighbors in spending on tourism promotion.

Oregon spends about $11 million on promotion programs, while California shells out $55 million and British Columbia $50 million annually, she said. "These are our real competitors."

While Oregon, California and British Columbia have boosted their tourism promotion budgets, Washington has "ceased all funding," she said. "As we have gone down to zero, all of our neighbors have increased theirs."

Wa shington, whos e tourism-related businesses represent the fourth-largest industry in the state, is now the only state in the nation that does not have a tourism promotion budget. That status has forced the industry itself to form the new entity of which Fletcher is the only employee.

Fletcher met Friday with representatives from the Touchet Valley Tourism Alliance, and several Waitsburg and Dayton businesses, including the Anchor Bar, Waitsburg Cottages, Crossroads Mercantile, Hugs, Gifts & Collectibles, Weinhard Hotel, the Times and the Coppei Coffee Co.

She then toured Main Street and the Bruce Mansion before meeting business owners and government offi- cials at the Dayton Chamber of Commerce. Earlier in the day, Fletcher met with industry representatives in Walla Walla.

Fletcher said she wants to find out what the industry's needs are. Next, she will develop a business plan and prepare the new statewide alliance to take over the state tourism website www.experiencewa.com still maintained by the government in Olympia.

Although the industry will not be more firmly in control of its destiny and promotion programs, its businesses still need the Legislature to empower hotels, restaurants and other travel-related companies to assess themselves a tax that pays for tourism promotion efforts despite the absence of government to help facilitate them.

"I will be your voice in Olympia," Fletcher told business owners.

According to a new brochure created by the state alliance, a 501 c 6, the alliance was born in February after the announcement of the closure of the Washington State Tourism Office in Olympia.

"The WTA immediately set forth to protect and preserve a number of ongoing state tourism programs and valuable marketing assets of great importance to the industry," the pamphlet goes on. "In addition, the WTA began to create a long-term strategy for funding, development and marketing of a new, industry-driven state destination tourism initiative."

Although the majority of stakeholders and board members are from companies west of the mountains, a number of eastern Washington entities are represented, including the Yakima Valley Visitors & Convention Bureau, the Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance.

Duane Wollmuth, newly hired head of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, represents the greater Walla Walla region on the alliance's board, said Michael Davidson, who accompanied Fletcher on her trip to the Touchet Valley.

Davidson said tourism is increasingly important in this area with each traveler spending about $170 a day here. He said he is confident the new statewide alliance will succeed in creating a sustainable funding mechanism for continued advocacy and promotion of the state as a travel destination.

Anyone can become a member of the alliance, which charges $25 for belonging to the group to individuals and $300 for businesses or local groups such as the Touchet Valley Tourism Alliance.

For more information about the WTA, visit www.watourismalliance.com.