Celebrate tourism and why tourism matters with the Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau (TRCVB) and the 2012 Pierce County Tourism Ambassadors during the 29th annual National Travel + Tourism Week.

Throughout Tourism Week, May 5-13, the TRCVB will unveil seven Pierce County Tourism Ambassadors representing Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, Sumner, Gig Harbor, Fife and Pierce County. These seven individuals were nominated and selected to represent the diverse market segments and demographics that make up Pierce County’s tourism industry.

Travel and tourism is an $886.7 million industry for Pierce County, creating 10,060 jobs and generating $66.8 million in state and local tax receipts, according to a Pierce County Travel Impacts report completed by Dean Runyan Associates in 2011. Travel is a broad and diverse industry employing a vast workforce, from hotel and restaurants employees to attractions, retail and more.

The TRCVB urges Pierce County residents and businesses to support National Travel + Tourism Week by spreading the “Why Tourism Matters” message to their respective communities throughout the week. The TRCVB will distribute posters featuring a new Tourism Ambassador each day of Tourism Week for local businesses to proudly display.

“Travel and tourism supports millions of jobs across the nation, and many here in Pierce County. It’s the fourth largest industry in Washington state and it is important to know that tourism matters,” said Shauna Lunde-Stewart, Interim Director for the TRCVB. “We are honoring local businesspeople as tourism ambassadors to celebrate the benefits of travel in our community and we encourage Pierce County residents to learn how travel benefits their community.”

The TRCVB is also partnering with Amtrak during National Travel + Tourism Week to welcome incoming travelers to Pierce County. On Fri., May 11 at 10:56 a.m. and 7:11 p.m. the TRCVB will have a “Welcome to Our City” booth at the Amtrak train station in Tacoma, located at 1001 Puyallup Ave., and will distribute Pierce County Visitor Guides and regional information to guests arriving from Oregon and California. Local businesses and media are strongly encouraged to join at these times.

More information is online at http://www.whytourismmatters.com .