VANCOUVER – The Southwest Washington Convention and Visitors Bureau has introduced a new logo and slogan in an attempt to distinguish the area from the better known Vancouver in British Columbia.

“Visit Vancouver USA Discover the Original,” introduced on Friday, emphasizes the city’s location and also makes reference to the fact the American version has been settled longer than the Canadian counterpart. In addition to the new brand, the organization’s formal business name has been changed to Vancouver USA Regional Tourism Office.

Kim Bennett, president and chief executive of the tourism office, has high hopes for the new branding.

“It takes a lot of initial explaining to define exactly where we are located,” Bennett said in a news release. “Our new brand will solve this problem.”

The Hilton Vancouver Washington especially appreciates the new brand, general manager Gerry Link said.

Before the 2010 Winter Olympics the city-owned, downtown Vancouver, Wash., hotel “received numerous calls from travelers who mistakenly thought they were calling the other Vancouver,” in Canada, Link said.

WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:

The Southwest Washington Convention and Visitors Bureau has introduced a new logo and slogan in an attempt to distinguish the area from the better known Vancouver in British Columbia.
In addition to the new brand, the organization’s formal business name has been changed to Vancouver USA Regional Tourism Office.
Kim Bennett, president and chief executive of the tourism office, has high hopes for the new branding.