Economic development is thriving in Cape Girardeau because everyone benefits from revenue generated by travel, tourism and new businesses, city promoters say.

About 25 people attended the fourth meeting of the West End Merchants Association Tuesday night to learn more about how Cape Girardeau is promoted as a regional travel destination and shopping area.

Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Mary Miller told the business group travel and tourism create about 10 percent of the jobs in the area.

"For every 11 jobs in travel and tourism, it creates five jobs for the businesses and industries," she said.

And attracting businesses is always a big task, but Cape Girardeau has been successful in the last few years. The West End has shown a significant rate of growth.

Barry Petrowsky explained how he promotes Cape Girardeau everyday on a national level.

As a leasing agent for Westfield Corp. in St. Louis, Petrowsky seeks out businesses interested in locating at the West Park Mall. He has released some 36 percent of the mall space within the last two years and now the area is about full.

"I came as a tourist and now I'm a native," he said, adding that although he lives in Des Moines, Iowa, and works in St. Louis, he is most familiar with Cape Girardeau.

Petrowsky, who has been in the real estate business for 19 years, tries to use a three-pronged approach to attracting businesses.

He said the area must assess what qualities already exist, assess the competition and build a matrix of the area's good points.

"Cape is not going away," he said. "It's probably the most progressive city in Missouri."

Cape Girardeau is international with the campus of Southeast Missouri State University, culturally oriented with attractions at the Show-Me-Center, has a larger profit margin for businesses because operating costs are lower and is a regional medical and health area, he said.

He promotes the city not as just a single city but as an entire region. The West Park Mall draws customers from an 11-county area with more than 295,000 people in the market area.

"I don't worry about the competition because it shows a thriving market," he said.