Inland Northwest tourism leaders accurately foresaw no increase in the number of visitor-attracting events here this year, but they predict that travel likely will pick up the pace again next year.

They say, though, that 2012 activity isn't expected to match the banner year of 2010.

"The outlook for 2012 continues to show positive growth compared to how things ended up and look to end up for 2011," says Keith Backsen, vice president and director of convention sales and services for Visit Spokane, previously known as the Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Visit Spokane has booked a total of 91 events that are anticipated to bring in 452,000 visitors and to generate 80,000 hotel room nights here next year. The projected economic impact of those events is around $172 million, he says.

Thirteen of those 91 events are national conventions, which compares with eight such gatherings held here this year.

Events include the 61st National Square Dance Convention, which will be held in late June and is projected to attract around 7,000 out-of-town visitors. Another sizable convention, put on by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will take place next fall and is anticipated to have about 2,500 attendees.

Those preliminary figures are anticipated to grow as the year progresses, Backsen says, especially since the visitors' bureau is seeing more short-term bookings, meaning groups are scheduling events later than they did in the past.

As is the case every year, a large number of out-of-town visitors also are anticipated to come to the Spokane area for the Best of Broadway series at the INB Performing Arts Center, says Kevin Twohig, Spokane Public Facilities District's executive director.

"Fifty percent of those customers are coming from outside of 100 miles of Spokane and have a tremendous economic impact on the community," Twohig says.

Aside from a projected increase in tourism numbers generated by meetings and conventions here, the Inland Northwest also will host several large-scale sporting events in 2012.

Sawyer says that he's noticed throughout the recession that sports-related travel hasn't seemed to waver much, and that people might be putting off other trips in lieu of traveling to a big sporting event for which they've qualified.

Tourism in Kootenai County shouldn't see much change from 2011, says Katherine Coppock, manager of the Coeur d'Alene Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Group travel is anticipated to remain strong in 2012, she says, and some new facilities in the area, such as the Hagadone Event Center at the Coeur d'Alene Resort and additions to the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel, are anticipated to continue attracting new visitors to the area, she adds.