Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Area" means a tourism promotion area.

(2)(a) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, "legislative authority" means the legislative authority of any county, or of any city or town within such a county, including unclassified cities or towns operating under special charters.

(b) Except as provided in (c) of this subsection, in any county with a population of one million or more, "legislative authority" means two or more jurisdictions acting jointly as the legislative authority under an interlocal agreement created under chapter 39.34 RCW for the joint establishment and operation of a tourism promotion area.

(c) For a city incorporated after January 1990, with a population greater than eighty-nine thousand, and located in a county described in (b) of this subsection, "legislative authority" means the city's legislative authority.

(3) "Lodging business" means a person that furnishes lodging taxable by the state under chapter 82.08 RCW that has forty or more lodging units.

(4) "Tourism promotion" means activities and expenditures designed to increase tourism and convention business, including but not limited to advertising, publicizing, or otherwise distributing information for the purpose of attracting and welcoming tourists, and operating tourism destination marketing organizations.

(5) "Tourist" means a person who travels for business or pleasure on a trip:

(a) Away from the person's place of residence or business and stays overnight in paid accommodations;

(b) To a place at least fifty miles away one way by driving distance from the person's place of residence or business for the day or stays overnight. However, island communities without land access are exempt from the mileage requirement under this subsection (5)(b); or

(c) To another country or state outside of the person's place of residence or business.