Published on : Thursday, March 20, 2014
Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine addressed some 650 regional tourism industry professionals at Visit Seattle’s annual meeting, called the 2014 Seattle Tourism Outlook, today at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel in downtown Seattle. The event also featured a keynote address by high altitude mountaineer Ed Viesturs.
Mayor Murray said, “Tourism is a major economic driver of Seattle and the region, and it helps us protect what we care about. That’s why it’s important that the City of Seattle does its part.” The mayor spoke of industry initiatives ranging from international tourism growth to the importance of meetings and conventions.
King County Executive Constantine presented the 2014 Seattle Tourism Ambassador of the Year Award to David Snead, Lead Admissions Representative at Seattle Art Museum (SAM). Snead’s winning nomination was selected from dozens by a regional judging committee that represented a cross section of the tourism industry. Judges reviewed nominees on criteria ranging from visitor service and high professional standards to job knowledge, professional leadership and influence, representing the industry and serving as examples of achievement and success.
During his five-year tenure at SAM, Snead has been hailed for high standards of patron service, knowledge of permanent exhibits and traveling exhibits such as Picasso and others, as well as city knowledge and proactive outreach to hotelsand concierge professionals to educate them about SAM and its offerings.
In addition to Snead, three other industry professionals were selected to be official Seattle Tourism Ambassadors for 2014. They include: Sivi Mennen, General Manager at AQUA by El Gaucho; Tyler Davis, Signature Guide & International Program Director with Evergreen Escapes; and Richard Powell, Lead Concierge at the Westin Seattle Hotel with more than 30 years of service at the hotel. Tourism Ambassadors are a featured component of the Why Tourism Matters advocacy campaign, which was started by Visit Seattle in 2008 and has since been joined by destination marketing organizations across Washington State. Visit the campaign web site to learn more and to see a video with Seattle’s 2014 class of Tourism Ambassadors.
Visit Seattle’s inaugural Tourism Champion Award was presented to the Super Bowl XLVIII winning Seattle Seahawks for their “inspired season, unparalleled sportsmanship and promoting Seattle’s spirit of victory to prospective visitors worldwide.” The award was presented to Seahawks President Peter McLoughlin by Visit Seattle President & CEO Tom Norwalk.
Visit Seattle also unveiled its new destination promotional video at today’s event. Billed as a love letter to Seattle, the three-minute video features iconic footage from skylines to ferries, food, wine, art and more. More than 80 local Seattle organizations assisted in the making of the video, which was filmed last October and features cameos from Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers and Rat City Rollergirl members. The musical track is by the local band Ivan & Alyosia. The video will be used to promote Seattle meeting groups, tour operators, travel agents, air lines, cruise lines and other travel supplies, travel media and prospective visitors across the map. They, as well as proud Seattleites, may view the new video on Visit Seattle’s web site.
The event profiled tourism industry performance data, trends and projections for 2014 and beyond. In conjunction, Visit Seattle released its 2014 annual report, which is also posted on the organization’s web site.
Source:- Visit Seattle
Tags: Visit Seattle
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