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NEWS RELEASE For more information contact: Brian
Hatfield, (360) 786-7745 OLYMPIA – The Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations (LCEDIR) will conduct its third meeting of 2005 in Vancouver on Oct. 5 and 6. Focusing specifically on eco-cultural tourism, the committee will visit several attractions in Clark and Skamania Counties, including the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refugee, Cottonwood Beach and the Columbia River Gorge Interpretive Center. A public meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Vancouver Water Resources Center. It will include presentations from the Columbia Land Trust, the Washington Water Trails Association, the Washington State Historical Society and private business leaders in the tourism industry. This trip will mark the full committee’s first visit to the Vancouver area. “The Lower Columbia offers some breathtaking examples of eco-cultural tourism,” stated Lt. Governor Owen “but every geographical area of our state stands to benefit from this growing industry.” Owen pointed out that tourism contributes almost $12 billion a year to the Washington state economy and directly supports over 140,000 jobs. “When
you realize that Americans spend roughly twice as much each year on birdwatching than they do on golf, you understand why this subject
deserves more attention from legislative leaders,” Owen added. |
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