Visit Vancouver USA on Tuesday announced Kim Bennett as the recipient of the 2019 Spirit of Tourism Award in recognition of her 20 years of service to the organization and to the growth of tourism in Clark County. Bennett founded the tourism office in 1999 and retired on Friday.
Visit Vancouver USA presents the Spirit of Tourism Award annually to an attraction, venue, event, business, or person that has contributed to the economic vitality of the region by attracting visitors to Vancouver and Clark County. Waterfront Park was the 2018 recipient. The American Empress received the award in 2017.
Shortly after the tourism office’s formation, visitor spending to the area represented $273.5 million in economic impact. By 2018 (the most recent year with reported numbers from Dean Runyan Associates), visitor spending numbers ballooned to $585 million–a more than 15 percent increase from the previous year. During her tenure, Bennett also grew the staff from a single employee to the current team of nine.
“Kim was instrumental in growing both leisure visitation and group business in Vancouver during the past 20 years. I can think of no person or entity more deserving of the 2019 Spirit of Tourism Award,” Mike McLeod, board chair of Visit Vancouver USA, said in the release.
