A ribbon-cutting ceremony conducted by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and Vince Lindstrom (holding scissors), director of the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, took place on May 12, 2008, to launch National Tourism Week. Last month Lindstrom put out an appeal to Joplin residents to spruce up their properties in anticipation of guests to the city. Calling Joplin the "bull's-eye of the four states," Lindstrom also introduced the city's new Route 66 signage in hopes that it could buy into the Route 66 mystique that attracts tourism, especially from abroad.