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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTCC_2027_Jefferson_County_LTAC_FINAL_Draft_Application v09162026Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 1 2027 Jefferson County Lodging Tax Proposal Countywide Destination Marketing Program Tourism Coordinating Council of Jefferson County - 2027 Applicant Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council Applicant type Jefferson County appointed advisory committee and governmental applicant Amount requested $379,000 Destination marketing share $379,000 Proposal deadline September 30, 2026 Request TCC requests the full $379,000 reserved in the 2027 RFP for Jefferson County destination marketing. The award will restart a countywide program from a near-zero operating base through a new model that combines a 0.5 FTE County position with professional-service contracts for strategy, campaign delivery, digital infrastructure, content production, partnerships, and measurement. 2027 result By year end, Jefferson County will have accountable program management, rebuilt tourism destination marketing channels, launched a countywide visitor information platform, improved lodging and event discovery, a new photo and video library, active value-season campaigns, and quarterly reporting tied to Washington Department of Revenue lodging-tax results and supporting visitor analytics. Proposal Checklist Check Required item Draft status ☐ Signed and dated proposal checklist and summary sheet Signature and contact fields remain to be completed ☐ Attachment A declaration of capital expenditures and operations Draft classification included in this document ☐ Attachment B proof of liability insurance Needed? If so, insert County risk- management or self-insurance documentation ☒ Section 1 itemized tourism promotion services and estimated costs Included ☒ Section 2 answers to proposal questions 1 through 9 Included; one page or less per question ☒ Section 3 proposed 2027 program budget Included; total reconciles to $379,000 ☒ 2026 organizational budget and year-to-date actuals N/A no separately funded TCC operations ☒ Current TCC roster with names and addresses Insert current County appointment roster ☒ Optional work samples Select no more than five Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 2 Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 3 Proposal Certification If this proposal is approved, Jefferson County and TCC will provide the contracted services up to the maximum award and will use the funds only for the services authorized in the final agreement. TCC understands that the application and supporting documents are public records potentially subject to disclosure. Authorized signature _________?_____________________________________ Printed name and title _________?___________________________________ Date __________________________ Applicant Eligibility and Program Governance TCC is an appointed advisory committee of Jefferson County and is eligible to apply as a governmental applicant. Jefferson County will remain the contracting and fiscal authority. The proposed 0.5 FTE County position will coordinate procurement, work plans, invoices, records, reporting, and cross-county relationships. TCC members will provide geographic and industry advice. Professional-service vendors will deliver specific scopes under County contracts. The model is designed for a fresh start. It does not depend on volunteers to recreate or administer a full destination marketing operation. The County position supplies continuity and public accountability, while qualified agencies and contractors supply the specialized capacity needed to rebuild quickly. Use of For Profit Vendors The 2027 RFP permits a government applicant to contract with for-profit firms as third-party vendors. All vendor names and concepts in this draft are proposed and remain subject to County procurement, contracting, legal, information-technology, accessibility, privacy, records-retention, and risk review. Payment will be based on completed services and documented actual costs; donated or in-kind value will not be charged to the County. Capital and Operations Declaration Classification Draft declaration Total request $379,000 Capital expenditures $3,000 for County-owned production and field equipment with an expected useful life of three or more years Operations $376,000 for County staffing, professional services, digital platforms, marketing, partnerships, measurement, travel, printing, subscriptions, and contingency [Before signature, County Finance and legal counsel should confirm whether any final wayfinding item has a useful life of three or more years. If so, the applicable amount should move from operations to capital without changing the total request.] Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 4 Section 1 Itemized Tourism Promotion Services All services will occur during calendar year 2027. The primary market is travelers who live outside Jefferson County and generally travel more than 50 miles, with special emphasis on overnight stays and value-season travel to unincorporated Jefferson County. See attached budget details Total requested services $379,000 Year-one rebuild emphasis. Projects 1 through 3 and Contractors 1 and 2 total $62,000. These five scopes rebuild the digital platform, lodging connection, content pipeline, and visual asset base that the renewed program needs. The planned investment can decline in later years as reusable systems and licensed assets come online, allowing more future funding to shift toward media distribution. Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 5 Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 6 Section 2 - Question 1 Destination Marketing Amount The full $379,000 request is destination marketing for Jefferson County. The budget supports the operation of a countywide tourism promotion agency and the advertising, visitor information, content, research, partnerships, and systems needed to attract and welcome travelers. Every line item is tied to that purpose. Budget group Amount Share Destination marketing purpose Program leadership and rebuilding projects $154,000 40.6% County coordination, professional services, visitor platform, lodging integration, content system, field work, office support, and equipment Partnerships and measurement $82,600 21.8% Zartico, OPTC partnership, Jefferson County familiarization activity, and cooperative advertising Marketing strategies and techniques $139,400 36.8% Paid media, social, photography, video, print, visitor materials, attribution, email, trade activity, signage, and subscriptions Opportunity contingency $3,000 0.8% County-approved opportunities within the contracted destination-marketing scope Total destination marketing $379,000 100.0% Full request Question 2 Program Description and Tourism Effect TCC proposes a 12-month countywide destination marketing program to restore a consistent Jefferson County presence in the regional visitor marketplace. TCC is a Jefferson County appointed advisory committee and will operate through a new model: a 0.5 FTE County employee will manage the public program, and qualified professional-service providers will carry out defined strategy, campaign, technology, content, and research scopes with regular reporting to TCC. The immediate challenge is a fresh start. Legacy destination URLs, social accounts, digital content, visitor information, partner relationships, and reporting practices cannot simply be switched back on. TCC must inventory what can be recovered, rebuild what is missing, establish County ownership and asset controls, and publish current information that serves all Jefferson County areas and tourism partners without a membership barrier. The 2027 program will make lodging, events, community activities, and seasonal itineraries easier to find and act on. Proposed developer Totera Web Systems of Port Townsend would build the web and mobile visitor app, with enhanced visitor search based on the Enhanced Visitor Experience (EVE-AI) solution. The platform would connect destination content to direct lodging referrals, event discovery, maps, calls, travelers planning and itinerary saves, and campaign landing pages. Final scope and vendor selection remain subject to County review and procurement. TCC will pair this infrastructure with professional photography, video, user-generated content, print material, email, social media, two value-season advertising flights, year round OPTC campaigns, FAM (familiarization and marketing) activity, and trade or sponsorship opportunities. Media will target travelers outside Jefferson County, especially the I-5 corridor from British Columbia (when the time is again right), through Puget Sound to Portland, as well as selected domestic drive and both US and foreign fly-drive markets identified by analytics. This program is expected to increase overnight demand by placing bookable lodging and multi-day itineraries beside the reasons to visit. It will also encourage travelers to add a day, visit outside the summer peak, and include unincorporated communities and businesses in a broader Olympic Peninsula trip. Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 7 Question 3 Continuing Program and 2027 Changes TCC has a history of year-round Jefferson County destination marketing, regional cooperation, campaign delivery, and visitor communications. Earlier programs included regional television and digital campaigns, seasonal messaging, content development, print and visitor information, and collaboration with the Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission and State of Washington Tourism. TCC’s 2024 application reported 17.6 million estimated television impressions, 409 spots, 24,478 paid-search and display clicks, and 1.37 million Google and Microsoft ad impressions for a prior campaign period. The 2027 proposal is different because it restarts the function after a lapse in dedicated operations. The program will not rely on committee volunteers to serve as substitute staff. A County employee will own the administrative and accountability work, and specialized vendors or a tourism marketing agency will be contracted for measurable deliverables. Area Earlier condition 2027 change Governance Volunteer-dependent coordination 0.5 FTE County program manager with TCC advice and County contracting controls Digital presence Legacy channels and content with uncertain continuity Asset audit, controlled credentials, rebuilt URLs and channels, current content, redirects where available Visitor service Separate listings and campaign destinations Integrated web and mobile discovery for lodging, events, activities, maps, and itineraries Content Older creative assets and intermittent production Year-one photography, video, and rights-managed user-generated content program Measurement Channel outputs and lodging-tax trends Washington DOR lodging-tax reporting plus Zartico media attribution, campaign analytics, and documented assumptions Seasonality Broad destination awareness Value-season demand, longer stays, and wider geographic dispersal across Jefferson County This is a rebuilding year. The $62,000 concentration in Projects 1 through 3, (#’s 3-5), and Contractors 1 and 2, (#’s 15-16), is intentional. Once the platform, integrations, workflows, and asset library are restored, TCC expects a larger share of future budgets can move from creation to distribution and conversion. Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 8 Question 4 County Priorities and Additional Considerations The RFP identifies destination marketing as the third of three ranked priorities, while reserving up to $379,000 specifically for that purpose. TCC requests that designated amount. The program also supports the higher- ranked priorities through countywide visitor infrastructure and ongoing promotion of special events and festivals. RFP consideration How the 2027 program responds Destination development The web and mobile visitor platform, lodging integrations, event discovery, countywide content standards, analytics, and wayfinding create reusable visitor infrastructure. TCC will coordinate with County priorities. Events and festivals The event calendar, enhanced search, email, social, paid campaigns, familiarization activity, and print distribution will give eligible Jefferson County events a consistent path to reach travelers outside the county. Destination marketing The entire request operates the County destination marketing function and funds the channels, content, partnerships, and measurement needed to attract and welcome tourists. Overnight stays in unincorporated areas Lodging inventory, Book > Direct links, itinerary content, value-season campaigns, and geographic landing pages will feature unincorporated Jefferson County accommodations and experiences. Documented economic benefit TCC will use monthly Washington DOR lodging-tax results as the authoritative lodging-spending indicator and pair them with visitor-origin, mobility, campaign, and referral data. Cooperation and reduced duplication TCC will work through OPTC for regional reach and Zartico access, use North Hood Canal Chamber Placer.ai information where available, and coordinate with OCL, communities, events, and lodging partners. The TCC 2027 marketing program will use shared regional distribution where it adds value, while maintaining a distinct Jefferson County program for countywide information, unincorporated lodging conversion, local content, and County reporting. Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 9 Question 5 Marketing to Travelers Outside Jefferson County Element 2027 Approach a. Event date Not applicable. This is a year-round destination marketing program. b. Timeline January through December 2027. Q1 establishes staff, contracts, assets, baselines, and platform design. Q2 launches core digital services and a spring campaign. Q3 builds content and prepares fall and winter demand. Q4 runs value-season marketing, optimizes, and completes annual reporting. c. Primary audience Travelers more than 50 miles from Jefferson County, especially Metro Seattle, Kitsap County, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, Vancouver Island, and eventually British Columbia once again... Paid targeting will exclude Jefferson County where practical. i. Sec. audience Drive market and fly-drive visitors from Oregon, California, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas; pre & post cruise-related and international visitors reached through OPTC, State of Washington Tourism, Visit Seattle, and Port of Seattle partnerships. ii. Priority interests Outdoor recreation, culinary and agritourism, arts and culture, heritage, festivals/events, weddings and reunions, retreats, car-free travel, scenic road trips, and multi-day Olympic Peninsula itineraries. d. Methods Search, display, social, video, email, print, public relations and familiarization activity, cooperative media, trade activity, web and app discovery, event listings, lodging referrals, user-generated content, and partner distribution. e. Overnight stays Every major campaign will include lodging and itinerary calls to action. The platform will connect travelers to direct lodging links where available, promote multi-day routes, encourage one more day, and emphasize fall, winter, and spring travel. f. Collaborators Core collaborators include OPTC for regional distribution, cooperative campaigns, Zartico access, familiarization tours, and visitor-planning assets; Olympic Culinary Loop for countywide food, farm, and event content; the North Hood Canal Chamber for limited Placer.ai insights where available; State of Washington Tourism and gateway partners for broader reach; and Jefferson County lodging, community, transportation, event, cultural, and outdoor-recreation organizations for current information and direct referrals. Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 10 Question 6 Measurement and Economic Impact Reporting TCC will use the Washington Department of Revenue monthly lodging-tax report as the authoritative measure of taxable visitor lodging activity in unincorporated Jefferson County. The report combines Special Hotel Motel and Transient Rental taxes and has an approximately two-month reporting lag. Through August 2026, the report shows $476,929.14 for unincorporated Jefferson County, 1.74 percent above the comparable 2025 year-to-date amount, despite a reported 15 percent inventory reduction at Kalaloch. TCC will preserve the source report, report the lag, and document known inventory or timing effects. Measurement level Measures and sources Economic outcome Washington DOR monthly lodging-tax collections; annual Tourism Economics visitor spending, lodging spending, taxes, visits, employment, and labor income Visitor origin and travel patterns Zartico through OPTC as the primary visitor-economy analytics source; North Hood Canal Chamber Placer.ai data as a secondary source where geographic coverage and license terms permit Campaign delivery Spend, impressions, reach, frequency, video completion, clicks, click-through rate, cost per click, and landing-page sessions by market and campaign Visitor action Out-of-area web or app sessions, lodging referrals, Book > Direct reservation clickthrough’s, map and call to actions, itinerary starts and saves, event views and saves, email sign-ups, and guide requests Program delivery Staffing and contracts in place, platform milestones, lodging records onboarded, event and business records updated, photo and video assets delivered, partner participation, and geographic coverage Attribution method. DOR results show actual lodging-tax activity. TCC will interpret tax trends alongside campaign timing, target-market exposure, visitor-origin data, platform referrals, accommodation capacity, seasonality, weather, transportation disruptions, and other known factors. Quarterly reports will separate observed results from estimated or influenced outcomes and will include the assumptions used for any estimated lodging stays. TCC will provide quarterly activity and financial reports by April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31, followed by the annual lodging-tax report due February 28. Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 11 Question 7 Expected Economic Impact The most recent completed county impact estimate provides the baseline. Tourism Economics reported 650,571 visits to Jefferson County in 2025, $157.9 million in direct visitor spending, $68.5 million in lodging spending, $13.8 million in state and local taxes, 1,150 direct jobs, and $41.6 million in direct labor income. Direct visitor spending was 4.7 percent below 2024, and visits were 0.9 percent lower. Requested RFP measure Response and target a. 2025 actual or estimated tourists 650,571 visits, as reported by Tourism Economics for State of Washington Tourism b. 2026 estimated tourists Final annual visit data are not yet available. For application planning, TCC uses approximately 650,000 visits and will replace this figure when the 2026 Tourism Economics county estimate is released. i. 2026 lodging indicator $476,929.14 in unincorporated Jefferson County lodging-tax collections reported through August 2026, up 1.74 percent year over year; report notes a 15 percent Kalaloch and Fort Flagler Historic State Park inventory reductions. ii. 2027 visit goal At least 670,000 county visits, a planning goal approximately 3 percent above the 2025 baseline. This is a performance goal, not a guaranteed result. iii. 2027 lodging goal At least 3 percent year-over-year growth in unincorporated Jefferson County DOR lodging-tax collections, with a stronger value-season objective where monthly baselines are stable. c. 2027 spending goal Return direct visitor spending to at least approximately $165.7 million, the 2024 level implied by the reported 2025 decline, and increase lodging and visitor referrals attributable to TCC channels. Final dollar impact will be reported from Tourism Economics and DOR sources. The program will concentrate its influence where marketing can reasonably change behavior: increasing qualified demand outside the summer peak, extending stays, increasing lodging referrals, distributing visitors across more Jefferson County communities, and supporting visitor spending at restaurants, shops, attractions, events, farms, and outdoor-recreation businesses. Data source note: Tourism Economics for State of Washington Tourism, Value of Tourism to Jefferson County 2025; August 2026 Room Tax Report, Washington Department of Revenue data compiled by OPVB for OPTC. Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 12 Question 8 Other Lodging Tax Applications TCC has not submitted another 2027 lodging-tax request for Jefferson County 2027 countywide destination marketing. Funding Separation • OPTC membership and cooperative advertising will purchase defined regional services and distribution for Jefferson County; they will not reimburse the same expense paid by another LTAC award. • The proposed Totera platform scope will be contracted and paid only once for the approved Jefferson County deliverables. • Partner-created content or event listings may be shared across channels, but County invoices will document the specific TCC service, delivery date, and actual cost. Question 9 Expertise and Unique Service TCC is Jefferson County’s appointed tourism advisory body and is dedicated to year-round, countywide destination marketing across all of Jefferson County without a membership requirement. Its geographic mandate connects Port Ludlow, Discovery Bay, Gardiner, Marrowstone Island, the Chimacum Valley and Tri-Area, Quilcene, Brinnon and Hood Canal, the Pacific coast and Kalaloch area, and Port Townsend within a single visitor proposition and regional Olympic Peninsula context. TCC’s expertise is coordination. It brings together lodging, attractions, events, food and farm experiences, arts and culture, outdoor recreation, visitor information, transportation, and community representatives. It can use County authority and systems to establish consistent contracts, data standards, public records, and reporting, while drawing on professional vendors for the specialized work that a half-time position cannot execute alone. The program also has a history of regional destination marketing and collaboration. Earlier TCC work included seasonal television and digital campaigns, paid search and display, content development, visitor information, and cooperation with OPTC, State of Washington Tourism, Olympic Culinary Loop, and gateway partners. The proposed structure retains that institutional knowledge with accountable staffing and contracted expertise. TCC’s unique 2027 contribution will be to rebuild the County-owned destination tourism marketing foundation while maintaining regional reach. The program will provide one source of current countywide visitor information, direct pathways to lodging and events, coordinated value-season promotion, a reusable content library, and a measurement framework that connects campaign activity to observed lodging-tax and visitor-economy results. Envisioned TCC Org Structure • County employee responsible for work plans, procurement, deliverables, invoices, public records, and required reports. • Professional scopes with schedules, acceptance criteria, ownership and license terms, accessibility requirements, data rights, and termination provisions. • TCC review of geographic coverage, partner participation, seasonal priorities, and community impacts. • Quarterly financial and performance reporting with six-year record retention as required by the RFP. Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 13 Section 3a. - Proposed 2027 Program Budget Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 14 Section 3b. – 2026 P&L, plus 2027 Delivery Plan and Reporting Schedule 2026 Budget and Year to Date Financial Statements N/A, TCC was not funded in 2026 TCC was not funded for operations in 2026. Hence, no 2026 Budget and Actual income and expenses YTD, i.e. P&L are available. TCC 2027 proposed work plan on behalf of Jefferson County Destination Tourism Marketing. Period Required work and reporting Q1 January through March Confirm County staffing and governance; execute vendor contracts; audit legacy domains, accounts, content, permissions, and analytics; establish DOR and Tourism Economics baselines; approve brand and editorial standards; complete visitor platform discovery and lodging-integration plan; submit Q1 report by April 30. Q2 April through June Launch or beta-test the core web and mobile visitor platform; publish initial lodging, event, activity, and itinerary content; begin lodging onboarding; commission photography and video; activate spring or early-summer campaign; submit Q2 report by July 31. Q3 July through September Maintain current visitor information during peak season; expand geographic content and partner records; operate the user-generated content workflow; complete major asset capture; develop fall and winter campaigns; submit Q3 report by October 31. Q4 October through December Run value-season media and cooperative campaigns; optimize enhanced search, lodging referrals, and content; reconcile deliverables and expenses; evaluate annual results; submit Q4 report by January 31, 2028, and annual state-required information by February 28. Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 15 Section 3c. – Organization Background and Required Attachments Current TCC Roster as appointed by Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners Liability Insurance Attach the County’s certificate of insurance, self-insurance documentation, or other risk-management evidence accepted for a governmental applicant. Require contracted vendors to meet the insurance limits in their County contracts. [INSERT ACCEPTED INSURANCE DOCUMENTATION] Port Ludlow – Discovery Bay, Gardiner Port Ludlow – TCC Chair Diana Smeland - alt. Dan Ratigan (collector) 70 Breaker Ln, Port Ludlow, WA 98365 Quilcene – Brinnon – Hood Canal Quilcene – Coyle Caitlin Friedman PO Box 574, Quilcene, WA 98376 Brinnon & Hood Canal – Dan Ventura 303075 US Highway 101 Brinnon, WA 98320 West End Kalaloch – West end – Amy Neil 157151 US-101, Forks, WA 98331 Forks – Marsha Massey 618 S Peabody St Suite F, Port Angeles, WA 98362 County-wide Kelly Olsen, Chair Jefferson Transit Authority 63 Four Corners Road, Port Townsend, WA 98368. Chair – District 1 Commissioner Heather Dudley-Nollette 1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Vice Chair - Steve Shively 2023 E. Sims Way, #308, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Phone 360.440.7006 Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 16 Section 3e. Some Former TCC work samples Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council 2027 LTAC Application Draft Page 17 Topics for Technical Question Applicant Information Field Response Organization name Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council Organization address Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson Street, PO Box 1220, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Contact name and title [COUNTY TO COMPLETE] Day and cell phone [COUNTY TO COMPLETE] Email [COUNTY TO COMPLETE] Facility or event Countywide Destination Marketing Program Total lodging tax request $379,000 Estimated 2026 operating budget [COUNTY FINANCE TO COMPLETE OR CONFIRM NO SEPARATE TCC BUDGET] 2026 Jefferson County lodging tax award No 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) Not applicable; governmental applicant WA UBI and EIN Not applicable; governmental applicant [Checklist intro - Lots of Blanks and ?. Who signs?…] Capital and Operations Declaration Classification Draft declaration Total request $379,000 Capital expenditures $3,000 for County-owned production and field equipment with an expected useful life of three or more years Operations $376,000 for County staffing, professional services, digital platforms, marketing, partnerships, measurement, travel, printing, subscriptions, and contingency [ATTACHMENT A: Before signature, County Finance and legal counsel should confirm whether any final digital image capture equipment or wayfinding item have a useful life of three or more years. If so, the applicable amount should move from operations to capital without changing the total request.] [Sec. 3c. INSERT ACCEPTED INSURANCE DOCUMENTATION]