By Tom McClimon
February 12, 2007

A number of representatives from the travel and arts organizations appeared before the meeting of the Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment and Sports Committee, chaired by Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann. The mayors gained insights into ways their communities can participate in a number of national programs.

Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, discussed the Big Read program that works with cities to encourage their citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment. “The Big Read aims to bring the power of reading into the lives of Americans,” stated Chairman Gioia. The National Endowment for the Arts has developed a number of materials to assist mayors in implementing the program in their communities. Additional information on the Big Read program can be obtained by contacting: www.neabigread.org

Chuck Merin, president of the Travel Business Roundtable and Geoff Freeman, executive director of Discover America Partnership reviewed some of the current travel and tourism issues facing Congress, including the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative program and visa waiver program. Discover America Partnership is a new program begun by a number of corporate CEOs to address America’s image overseas as well as to help attract foreign visitors to the United States. Both presenters stressed the important role mayors can play in attracting foreign visitors to their cities.

Nina Ozlu, chief counsel for Americans for the Arts and Randy Cohen, vice president for research, shared with the mayors some suggestions on ways their cities can establish cultural tourism programs. Cultural tourism programs that center on particular cultural places and/or events have been proven to be especially attractive to visitors and many cities are now developing specific tours centered on local cultural attractions.

Kelly Cafferelli, executive director of the Home Depot Foundation, announced the finalists for the 20007 Community Trees Awards. The winners will be announced at the Conferences Annual Meeting in Los Angeles in June. Awards will be made to large and small cities and will range from $75,000 to $2,500.

Finally, the 2007 Latino Art Beat calendar and poster was unveiled. The Latino Art Beat program encourages the artistic talents of Latino high school students through annual citywide arts competitions. Cities participating this year included Chicago, New York, Houston and Miami.