Tourism Leaders’ Wish List Includes 3-State Bike Trail, Intermodal Train

Imagine hopping on a bike and riding a trail that stretches from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula to Montana, then hopping on a futuristic, intermodal train for the return trip.

You might be able to do that sooner than you think, if the dreams of Northwest tourism leaders come true.

Tour guides, hotel owners and delegates from visitors bureaus in the Northwest have converged in Spokane for the 1995 Washington State Tourism Conference, which ends today at the SheratonSpokane Hotel.

The main goal of convention is to discuss strategies for environmentally responsible and economically profitable tourism in the Northwest. Industry representatives will then present their ideas to the first ever White House Conference on Travel and Tourism, to be held in October.

The bike trail and intermodal train were just two of hundreds of ideas delegates proposed.

In order to alleviate pollution and make the state more accessible to traveling health nuts, a group of brainstormers suggested expanding bike trails up and down the Pacific coast and across state lines. They also suggested constructing airports in outlying areas and near the Canadian border.

A subcommittee on infrastructure improvements also threw out ideas for building a high-tech, Eurorailinspired railroad for elderly and budget travelers who prefer not to drive.

Other suggestions included:

Providing visitors with multilingual maps, brochures and directories. Some participants also suggested providing bilingual hosts in many areas, especially those with a high density of Japanese and Spanishspeaking travelers.

Creating so-called “sensitivity icons” to designate restrooms, crucial traffic signs and highway information for visitors who don’t speak English.

Posting metric measurements and speed limits to make American highways more foreigner-friendly. Although Canada posts speed limits in metric and English systems, the United States is the only country in the world to post limits exclusively in miles per hour.

Equipping all rest areas with “emergency call boxes,” and ensuring that all counties use the 911 system to report emergencies and accidents.

The delegates also hashed out ecological issues they hope to discuss at the White House conference.

“We really need to look hard at sensitive areas that have been inundated with hikers and tourists,” said Les Bolton, executive director for the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority.

“We may need to give a limited number of permits to public park goers, along with a code of ethics for commercial operators,” he said.

This year’s convention set a record with more than 250 delegates representing hotels, restaurants, magazines, federal agencies and convention bureaus from counties in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.