BILLINGS, MONTANA---May 2, 2001---Thousands of communities across the United States will celebrate National Tourism Week, May 6-12. Each year, the first week of May is set aside to promote the benefits of tourism as a major contributor to the economic growth and stability in the U.S. Rhonda Harms, Director of the Billings Area Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Council, commented on the importance of this event. “National Tourism Week provides the tourism industry with an opportunity to inform the public on how tourism benefits our communities, show appreciation to the service providers and educate them on the local attractions, and thank the tourists that visit our cities and attractions.”

In 2000 alone, 1.47 million visitors to Yellowstone County spent $233 million. Of this amount, $122 million goes towards county taxes, supporting infrastructure projects such as the Shiloh interchange, Grand Ave. street widening and North Broadway improvement project. Many of the industries within the city also benefit from tourism. For each dollar a tourist spends in Yellowstone County, 27¢ is used for gasoline and transportation, 26¢ for food and beverage, 24¢ to purchase retail goods, 17¢ for accommodations and 6¢ for miscellaneous items. “Many people don’t realize that tourism benefits more than just the hotel industry,” comments Harms, “When you really look at the numbers, it is shown that almost every industry within the city is impacted by tourism dollars at some level.”

The Convention and Visitors Council will be kicking off the celebration of National Tourism Week with the presentation of a check representing taxes collected from tourism to Mayor Chuck Tooley . Presentations will also be made to the various industries supported by tourist visitation. This event will take place Monday, May 7 at 11:00 am at the Chamber of Commerce. The Billings Outlaws will be working at the Visitor Center that day, and the public is invited to attend the presentation and visit with the local football team throughout the day. Other events throughout the week include a blood drive held at United Blood Services, the “arrest” of a selected tourist of the day on Wednesday, May 9, coupons offered to visitors at local restaurants throughout the week, and tours of local attractions for front-line service employees. “The week will be filled with many events to make Billings citizens aware of the impact tourism has on our community,” says Harms. “We’re also offering programs to educate the front-line employees that are in direct communication with our out-of-state visitors.”

The Billings Convention and Visitors Council has been instrumental in bringing many conventions to Billings including Wing Ding 2000, which had over 10,000 attendees and the Women of Faith convention, which is expecting around 11,000 attendees on May 11-12 this year. As the director of the Billings CVC, Harms attends various trade shows throughout the year to generate convention leads. The CVC also targets motorcoach tours and leisure travelers through their marketing efforts. The Billings CVC is partially funded by accommodations taxes, which are distributed through Travel Montana and the Montana Department of Commerce.

For additional information on Billings, Montana, or National Tourism Week, please contact Rhonda Harms, Director of the Billings Convention and Visitors Council, at 406-245-4111. or visit our web site at http://billingscvb.visitmt.com.