A regional approach to tourism promotion is the most effective way to attract visitors and events. It’s with that in mind that the Journal encourages the Spokane Valley City Council to take steps to keep the Tourism Promotion Area intact, as is.

Through the Tourism Promotion Area, formed in 2004, hotels charge per-night hotel-stay fees that are collected by the Washington state Department of Revenue and redistributed to the Spokane Hotel Motel Commission, which decides how to distribute those funds.

Typically, Visit Spokane, the Spokane area’s destination marketing organization, receives the bulk of those funds—72% recently. The Spokane Sports Commission receives most of the balance, with a small amount set aside for event-specific grants.

Late last year, the Spokane Valley City Council voted to terminate the TPA interlocal agreement at the end of 2022 and informed the other involved parties, the city of Spokane and Spokane County.

Now, after some turnover on the Council and concerns from at least one hotelier, the matter is being revisited.

Ben Wick served as mayor of Spokane Valley last year and is a council member now. He says he supports the city’s decision to end the interlocal agreement and advocates for starting its own TPA, adding that he believes Spokane Valley and its amenities are underrepresented in tourism promotion materials for the region.

If the Valley were to form its own TPA, Wick says, it likely would continue to contribute heavily to Visit Spokane and Spokane Sports, but it expects to have greater leverage in those conversations about how the Valley is presented and promoted as part of the larger effort.

Wick’s keen focus on the city he serves is understandable and respectable. But the Valley carefully should take the temperature of hoteliers within its city limits. Those hotel owners and operators must approve a new TPA, and if they don’t get behind such an effort, it could have the unintended consequence of leaving the city without a large mechanism for promoting its amenities.

Beyond that, it’s important to note that the benefits of visitors to the region aren’t restricted to political boundaries. In other words, Hoopfest might occur in downtown Spokane, but players and spectators in town for the world’s largest three-on-three basketball tournament can be found at hotels and restaurants throughout the region during the annual event. Promoting such events regionally and ensuring their success stand to help Valley hoteliers, as they help those throughout the region.

Like every other community in the world, essentially, the Spokane region is emerging from two years of pandemic-related travel restrictions and unpredictability. As events come back and people start to travel more, opportunities return—but so does intense competition for those dollars.

A strong regional effort arguably is more important now than it ever has been in the past, and the Valley City Council would be wise to remain involved in the regional effort. Going on its own is the kind of provincial thinking our greater community doesn’t need.