Touting tourism.

National Tourism Week offers CVBs, among others, the opportunity to celebrate the positive contributions of travel and tourism.

With all the great things to do and see in the United States, it's no fluke that tourist-related spending adds billions to the U.S. travel trade surplus each year. According to the Tourism Works For America Council, Washington, D.C., America s travel and tourism business sports the number three position on the roster of the nation's largest retail industries. A preliminary TWFAC estimate puts total expenditures for domestic and international travel and tourism in the United States during 1996 at $467 billion.

In 1983, Congress passed a joint resolution designating a week in May 1984 as National Tourism Week. The industry and communities have observed National Tourism Week annually ever since, using events and activities to emphasize the economic impact of travel and tourism and to show appreciation for travelers.

In 1986, leading travel industry associations established TWFAC to coordinate the nationwide event. Remarks Cathy Keefe, the council's manager of public relations, "Travel and tourism is serious business in the U.S., so much so that about one in 18 American workers owes a job to the industry. National Tourism Week is an avenue for everyone in the industry to celebrate the positive contributions of travel and tourism."

To find out just what kinds of celebrations are taking place this year, ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT recently conducted a survey of convention and visitors bureaus represented in ASAE's membership. Responses proved that CVBs take their tourists seriously - and plan to let them know it during this year's National Tourism Week, May 4-10, and on National Tourist Appreciation Day, May 7. Outlined here are some of their plans.

CVB celebrations

The Mobile Convention and Visitors Corporation is looking to Alabama's new Hank Aaron Stadium to assemble a large audience for "Tourism Awareness Night" during a Mobile Bay Bears game.

In North Carolina, an Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau task force chosen from the local hospitality industry will throw its "Hospitality Sock Hop" for the community. Proceeds are earmarked for victims of AIDS and for Hospitality House, which serves the area's homeless.

In New Mexico, the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau's list "Top 10 Ways to Celebrate National Tourism Week" includes an airport blitz. Tourism industry representatives dressed in red T-shirts plan to greet arriving visitors with fact cards and a southwestern treat.

The Spokane Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Washington, will formally dedicate a new visitor information booth at the Spokane International Airport. The center serves as a regional information point for 1.6 million travelers per year.

The San Luis Obispo County Visitors and Conference Bureau, California, will host its annual dinner in the lobby of the new 1,350-seat performing arts center. The event benefits a 1999 conference of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, the first international conference to be held in the area.

Georgia's Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau is repeating its tourism exchange program. Local dignitaries will change jobs for two hours with tourism workers to point out how many people make tourism work in Statesboro.

The Washington, D.C., Convention and Visitors Association has scheduled a National Tourism Week issues breakfast. A panel of speakers will discuss tourism and economic development projects and their impact on the industry.

Duluth, Georgia's Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau expects 300 guests at its annual tourism luncheon to honor tourism employees with job achievement awards.

Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Development will call upon its mayor and other political leaders to honor successful community "ambassadors" at its Ninth Annual Hospitality Employee Awards Luncheon.

The Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is hitting the airwaves with "The People's Editorial." The call-in show on public radio will focus on the economic impact of tourism on Florida's capital region.

The Dayton/Montgomery and Greene Counties' Convention and Visitors Bureaus are working in partnership with the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Festivities include a trade show followed by a cocktail party, an IMAX presentation, and a museum tour.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, Florida, has enlisted the Broward County Commission to issue a proclamation announcing National Tourist Appreciation Day. The CVB president will present to the commission an over-sized replica of a check in the amount of $3.4 billion representing tourist dollars spent in Broward County.

Tennessee's Kingsport Convention and Visitors Bureau will kick off the week with "DJ Drop-in Friday." Staff and board members will drop in at area radio stations, providing deejays with breakfast and promoting National Tourism Week on the air.

North Carolina's Charlotte Convention and Visitors Bureau activities will center on Destination 2000. A town-hall meeting format will relate tourism issues to the development of a vision to guide Charlotte into the 21st century.

The Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau is repeating its civic luncheon. The event will honor Raymond Nasher, founder of Business for the Arts, sculpture collector, and champion of the tourism industry.

The Hawaii Tourism Office is sponsoring a television spot depicting how $20 spent by a visitor moves through the islands' economy. The office will also distribute 100,000 wallet-sized tourism fact cards.

The Kalamazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau has invited civic leaders, local media, and the Travel Michigan office to a familiarization tour that will include attraction visits, lunch, and a reception.

The Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau will sponsor "Be a Tourist in Your Own Town." Passports to the event include admission to attractions and restaurant, hotel, and arts events coupons.

South Dakota's Rapid City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is coordinating National Tourism Week with the pre-grand-opening of the Journey Museum. The institution will house existing museums as well as several local private collections.

The Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, Utah, is sponsoring a communitywide essay contest in which residents explain why they wish to bring someone to Salt Lake City for vacation. Winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Salt Lake City for a friend or family member.

The Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, Delaware, has slated the official opening of its new bureau to coincide with National Tourism Week. The new, high-profile location promises to be more accessible to both residents and visitors.

The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau will repeat the elementary school poster contest "What Should Tourists See When They Come to New Orleans?" The three winners will attend a National Tourism Week luncheon, at which all 850-900 poster entries will be displayed.

Mississippi's Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau will repeat its successful stakeout event. The bureau's executive director will team up with Tupelo's chief of police to spot out-of-town license plates and apprehend the drivers. The "penalty" is a tourism packet of coupons for an overnight stay, meals, and a special gift from Tupelo.

The Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc., has ordered 5,000 "Mile High City" buttons to be sported by its frontline employees.

The Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau plans a van tour to showcase Arizona's newest attraction: the Rio Salado Project. With a scheduled 1999 opening, the project will include a 62-acre recreational site, a 25-acre wetland wildlife habitat, and a 1,000-room Peabody Hotel.

Carole Schweitzer is a freelance writer based in Arlington, Virginia.