TACAOMA, Wash. — As part of a merger process began in January of this year, Pierce County’s two largest destination marketing organizations have announced a new joint name, new logo and new tagline.
The organizations formerly known separately as Travel Tacoma + Pierce County and the Tacoma South Sound Sports Commission will now jointly be named Travel Tacoma – Mt. Rainier Tourism and Sports. Their new tagline is MOUNTAIN CITY SEA.
The merger allows the organizations to reach all visitor channels; those visiting Pierce County for meetings, conventions, sporting events or leisure.
The new name
The new name contains two major geographic locators for visitors: Tacoma and Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier serves not only as Pierce County’s most visible and identifiable tourism asset, it’s also an icon that represents Washington state to both in-state and national audiences.
“Mount Rainier represents Washington state on our state quarter, our license plates, our state postage stamp and in too many other ways to name, and we’re lucky that it also happens to be here in Pierce County,” said Dean Burke, president and CEO of Travel Tacoma – Mt. Rainier Tourism and Sports. “You can see the mountain from lots of places in Washington, but it rises over our cities and our waterways in a way that makes everything in its shadow that much better. You can feel its gravity when you’re here. And when someone really wants to get on the mountain and experience it through hiking, snowshoeing or climbing, they’re going to do it in Pierce County.”
Adding “tourism and sports” to the name reflects that the new organization serves all channels of visitor: meetings, conventions, sports and leisure.
The new logo
Along with the new name, Travel Tacoma – Mt. Rainier also unveiled a minimalist, text-based logo. The new emblem representing the organization is meant to be seen on top of vivid photography of the region.
“Photography sells our destination,” Burke said. “When people see images of our geographic platform, convincing them to come is a much easier proposition. Most tourism logos have some graphic element, but it’d be a shame for us to have a logo that competes with what nature has given us.”
The new tagline
Burke brought the MOUNTAIN CITY SEA tagline from his previous role as executive director of the Tacoma South Sound Sports Commission.
“With your feet in the saltwater shores of Commencement Bay, you could shine a laser at the peak of Mount Rainier, and it’s only 42 miles away,” Burke said. “In that 42 miles, you have incredible geographic and cultural diversity, and the experiences those mean for a visitor are rare and valuable. This is the trifecta of what a destination can offer. Most destinations have one of the three. A few have two. We’re one of only a handful in the country that have all three: A major mountain, a metropolitan city and a saltwater sea.”