Bill aims to promote tourism through board

OLYMPIA — A bipartisan bill by Rep. Cary Condotta to create a state tourism board and marketing campaign passed through the Community Development, Housing and Tribal Affairs Committee unanimously on Thursday.

House Bill 1123 creates a state tourism and market authority which is funded by a retail sales tax collected on lodging and car rentals which is deposited into a Statewide Tourism Marketing Account. The tax is estimated to raise $5 million, which non-state groups must match two to one, to create a total statewide tourism fund of $15 million.

Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, co-sponsor of the bill and chair of the committee, said she believes the state is losing market share of tourism to other states and Canada.

“Seattle definitely has no problem attracting,” Ryu said. “But the smaller cities have a problem attracting tourism.”

The state had a tourism board until 2011, when it was cut due to budget shortages. Condotta said his bill differs from the old tourism board by changing the source of the funding to one part state two part non-state funding and steering clear of the “Say WA” slogan used in marketing campaigns the state has utilized in the past.

“It was the biggest joke,” Condotta said. “We’ll solicit outside ideas from people who have proved they could do it.”

She said the bill will most likely head to the House Finance Committee and then the Appropriations Committee before it will be up for a vote on the House floor.

“There’s three committees before it sees the light of day,” Ryu said. “It’s got a long way to go.”

The chair of the appropriations committee, Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, said the tourism board was previously cut because of the recession and budget shortages after the 2008 recession. This year, with the deadline of the McCleary education funding mandate fast approaching, he thinks this bill might face the same issues.

“As it is with anything, even if it was a 20 times match or 100 times match, you still have to have the $5 million to start with,” Ormbsy said. “That’s $5 million you’re not going to spend somewhere else and collectively, as a chamber and as a legislature, what are our priorities about where we spend money?”