Whereas, on April 8, 2010, the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its founding;
Whereas, since 1985, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
has been at the forefront of sustainable destination development, community
building, resiliency, education, and scholarly research;
Whereas the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council is a
non-profit corporation registered as a 501(c)(3) educational organization and
is authorized under Section 42–63.1–5 of the Rhode Island General Laws as the
State-designated regional tourism development agency for the Blackstone Valley
of Rhode Island;
Whereas the development region of the Blackstone Valley
Tourism Council follows the length and width of the Blackstone River Watershed,
from the many tributaries in southern Massachusetts, to the end of the river at
the headwaters of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island;
Whereas the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council represents
the Rhode Island cities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket, and towns
of Cumberland, Lincoln, North Smithfield, Smithfield, Glocester, and
Burrillville;
Whereas the Blackstone Valley is the birthplace of the
American Industrial Revolution that began in 1790 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island,
when Samuel Slater began textile manufacturing in a wooden mill on the banks of
the Blackstone River;
Whereas, since its beginning, the Blackstone Valley
Tourism Council has worked to develop, promote, and expand the economic and
community development base for the cities and towns in the Blackstone Valley to
create a viable visitor and cultural destination that preserves the historic
heritage of the region;
Whereas the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council works as an
interpreter and educator of the history and ecology of the Blackstone River,
initiates ongoing international relationships of major importance to the
region, provides input on future riverfront and economic development, and
develops various recreational activities;
Whereas the work that the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Council accomplishes benefits from its partnerships with local social and
community development organizations, municipalities, regional and State
economic development organizations, educational institutions, and National and
international entities;
Whereas the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council was the
first recipient of the Ulysses Prize from the United Nations World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO) that merits distinction for innovative contributions to
tourism policy, sustainable tourism planning, environmental protection and new
technologies, and in 2006, the Council received the UNWTO.Sbest Certification
in tourism governance, the only organization in the United States to earn this
certification; and
Whereas, in 2008, the World Travel and Tourism Council
(WTTC) recognized the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council with its Tourism for
Tomorrow Destination Award, a prestigious sustainable tourism development
award, in recognition of the integrated, community-centered, resilient approach
of the Council to tourism development and community building: Now, therefore,
be it
That the Senate—
(1)honors the
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council on the celebration of its 25th anniversary;
and
(2)wishes the
Council continued success.