TOURISM: TYPICAL TRAVELERS VISIT CAPE TO KICK OFF CEREMONIAL WEEK

As the musical sounds of a four-piece Dixieland combo played in the background, the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau kicked off its celebration of National Tourism Week Monday with a visit from the official mascots of the Missouri Division of Tourism.

Tommy and Tina Traveler -- the prototypes of typical vacationers -- stopped at the Cape Girardeau CVB Monday in their recreational vehicle to generate interest in tourism within the state and to draw attention to the economic impact tourism has on a community.

"We were looking for something new to draw attention to the tourism industry during National Tourism Week," said Lori Simms, communications manager with the Missouri Division of Tourism.

"We created our RV-traveling mascots, Tommy and Tina, because we thought they would stand out from the crowd," she said.

Speaking to a crowd gathered on the parking lot at the CVB, the mascots detailed several places in Southeast Missouri's River Heritage region where tourists could visit.

The second part of the promotion was to emphasize how tourism benefits the economy.

"Tourism consistently ranks as one of the top three industries in the state, creating nearly 300,000 jobs and generating millions of dollars in tax revenue. People need to know that," Simms said.

According to figures released by the Travel Industry Association of America, travel and tourism is the nation's largest service export industry, the third-largest retail sales industry and one of the largest employers.

The association said that tourism generated $90.5 billion in expenditures from 46.3 million international travelers to the United States. In comparison, the 52.3 million American tourists who traveled abroad spent only $64.5 billion, leaving a travel trade surplus of $26 billion.

Herb Fallert, deputy director of the Missouri Department of Tourism, told the crowd that the day was also a day of awareness of what tourism means to the region and to the state in terms of economic development.

This year's celebration -- the 15th annual National Tourism Week -- will be observed through Saturday.