STATE TOURISM DIRECTOR WILL TALK TO RCGA

Marjorie Beenders, director of the Missouri Division of Tourism, will speak at the Regional Commerce and Growth Association (RCGA) meeting Wednesday.

The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Cape Girardeau.

Beenders is responsible for administering the division's $6.4 million annual budget and overseeing promotion of Missouri's second largest industry tourism.

Since becoming director of the tourism division in 1983, Beenders has instituted the successful "Wake Up to Missouri" promotional campaign and has worked to increase the state's visibility to planners of group/motorcoach tours.

In 1987, she was selected as national "State Travel Director of the Year" by the Travel Industry Association of America. She is currently a member of the association's board of directors.

Sponsors of the May 20 RCGA meeting are the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad, the River Hills Traveler, and the Van Buren and Piedmont chambers of commerce.