ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 26, 1996 TAG: 9610280041
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
WE'RE SO BEAUTIFUL, a publisher is stopping the presses until our picture is included in a book on Virginia.
Random House won't rest without a picture of the Roanoke Valley for an upcoming coffee table book on Virginia. The photographer assigned to take it planned to visit the Mill Mountain overlook at sunrise this morning, having twice been thwarted by overcast weather.
The New York publisher is scheduled to release about 100,000 copies of the book next year.
The Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, host of the photographer's visit, said the free publicity will be a lure for tourists, who plunk down one in eight of the dollars spent on taxable items such as meals, hotels and gifts in the area.
Travelers spent $312million in the valley last year, according to an estimate released this week. The data from the Virginia Tourism Corp. is for Roanoke, Salem, Roanoke County and Botetourt County.
Traveler spending rose 4.3 percent from 1994's total of $286million, compared with an increase of 4.7 percent for the state.
Roanoke posted the fastest spending gain in the metropolitan area. Its take from tourists rose 13 percent, from $175million in 1994 to $198million last year. It saw the greatest travel employment growth as well, with that work force rising 10 percent from 3,090 in 1994 to 3,400 in 1995.
The tourism corporation said its figures are estimates, adding that they are based on reliable computer models.
LENGTH: Short : 38 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: Tourism impact.by CNB