No, the state is not going to revive its official tourism office, which was cut off from state funding and shut down in 2011 as a result of the Great Recession budget crunch. But if House Bill 2229 becomes law, state government will edge back ever so slightly into an official relationship with the marketing of Washington as a tourist destination.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Morris of Mount Vernon and approved 88-8 by the House Feb. 17, calls on the Washington Tourism Alliance, a non-profit industry organization, to submit a report to the Legislature by Dec. 1 that includes a proposal for private funding of a marketing program. The bill also directs state agencies to help the WTA develop a method for collecting money for the program from various sectors of the tourism and hospitality industry.
Washington is the only state without a standing tourism promotion effort financially supported by state government, according to the WTA. The WTA is receiving $1 million in “bridge” funding from the state in 2013-15 to support its activities pending development of a long-term private financing plan.