Friendly destination

With a series of high profile events on Spokane’s civic calendar, tourism officials are banking on 2007 as the year that will launch the city’s reputation as a travel destination.

Last month, Spokane was on display to an international audience when the State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships came to town.

In March, the Spokane Arena will host two rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball championship. And in July, 3,500 members of the Fraternal Order of Eagles will gather for a conference at the newly renovated Spokane Convention Center.

They’re big-time events for a mid-sized city like Spokane, says Harry Sladich, president and chief executive officer of the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, who can’t help bragging a bit when he talks to national meeting planners and traveler writers.

“Just so you know,” he tells them, “we beat out Boston for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.”

More than a moment in the spotlight, the figure skating championship will help local tourism promoters book events in Spokane for years to come, Sladich said.

Meeting planners are predominately female. If they follow skating at all, they’re likely to see “beauty spots” of Spokane on national television, Sladich said.

Fortuitously for tourism officials, the exposure coincides with an $89 million convention center renovation and expansion, which will be completed by May.

Both nationally and locally, tourism spending is on the rebound. After several flat years following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, demand for hotel rooms is growing in both Spokane and Kootenai counties.

In Spokane County, the demand for hotel rooms grew by 3 percent during the first 11 month of 2006, according to Smith Travel Research, a Tennessee firm that tracks trends in the travel industry. Average room rates rose from $70 to $75.

In Kootenai County, demand for hotel rooms grew by a more modest 2 percent. Room rates rose from an average of $94 to $103. Sladich attributes the growth primarily to leisure travelers. A weaker U.S. dollar boosted the value of Canadian currency last year, helping both Spokane and Kootenai counties attract visitors from British Columbia and southern Alberta. The Spokane CVB also markets aggressively in smaller markets, such as western Montana and the Tri-Cities, advertising itself as a regional hub for fine dining, theater, sports and other urban amenities.

The CVB will also reach out to Californians this month with stories and ads in Alaska Airlines’ and Horizon’s in-flight magazines. The $25,000 campaign is jointly funded by the Spokane Area Economic Development Council. It features testimonials from chief executive officers of Spokane-based corporations, discussing what they like about living and working in the region.

The campaign is the first concerted effort to reach Californians, who are a growing tourist presence in the area, Sladich said.

In North Idaho, growth in the tourism industry was reflected in spending and investments in new facilities. The Coeur d’Alene Resort celebrated its 20th anniversary last year with a new spa and a multimillion-dollar renovation. Silverwood Theme Park opened a new ride last summer and plans to double the size of its water park in time for the 2007 season.