Gregoire goes to Europe on trade mission

OLYMPIA – Gov. Christine Gregoire, newly assured of a full four-year term, now turns her attention to international trade and tourism, choosing Europe for her first trade mission.

Gregoire was due in Paris this weekend to begin a 10-day tour of France, Germany and Britain. In an interview this week, the governor said she hopes to tap into a lucrative and growing market for Washington’s goods and services.

Two-way trade, tourism and foreign investment are a key part of meeting her goal of generating 250,000 new jobs over the next four years, she said.

“We need to get our economy strong and growing, so I’m going to Europe to see if we can build on our trade relationships and invite them over for tourism and to invest in Washington,” Gregoire said. “My message is that with the euro being so strong, Washington is a great buy.”

The governor planned to fly from Boston to France, accompanied by her husband, Mike, and their daughter Michelle. Just a few days after Gregoire learned Monday that she had won an election challenge in Chelan County Superior Court, the family attended the graduation of their elder daughter, Courtney, from Harvard Law School. The governor’s office budget will pay for Gregoire’s expenses; the family is paying its own way.

The delegation will include several dozen representatives from Washington business, the state trade agency, the state Apple Commission, and tourism and economic development leaders from Spokane, King and Snohomish counties and the Port of Seattle.

The Gregoires will travel to Normandy on Sunday, with the governor laying a wreath in honor of the 82 Washington service members who died there in World War II.

The delegation will spend the following two days at the Paris Air Show, where the state’s largest private employer, The Boeing Co., has a starring role. The company flew its new 777-200LR Worldliner, the world’s longest-range commercial jetliner, to France on Friday.

The company also is showcasing its planned new 787 Dreamliner, which so far is eclipsing rival Airbus in orders and interest. Boeing has 266 orders and commitments from 21 airlines, compared with the European consortium’s 30 commitments for its proposed A350.

Gregoire will spend time at the Washington Pavilion at the air show, will promote tourism at a number of events, and will be honored at a reception at the U.S. Embassy.

The delegation heads to Frankfurt on Tuesday night and will meet with tourism and business officials there and elsewhere in Germany.

On Friday, the group moves on to London, where tourism and two-way trade are on the promotional agenda, before returning to Olympia on Monday, June 20.

Gregoire picked Europe for her first trade mission because the strength of the euro relative to the dollar makes Washington an attractive trading partner and place to visit, Gregoire spokeswoman Althea Cawley-Murphree said.

“Europe is an important trading partner with a well-established trade history and growth potential,” she said. “Our total exports to Europe exceed $2.8 billion – aircraft, machinery, computers, medical equipment and seafood.”

Tourism also will be a big sales pitch in Britain, which is second only to Japan for the number of tourists to Washington state, she said. France, Germany and England accounted for 80,000 tourists in the state in 2002, she said.