Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutM061317 Tourism Coordinating Council Jefferson County Minutes of the Meeting of the Coordinating Council June 13, 2017 (DRAFT) The June 13, 2017 meeting of the Tourism Coordinating Council (TCC) for CALL TO ORDER Jefferson County, was called to order at 10:04am by Chair Bill Roney, noting a quorum present. Voting Members present were: Bill Roney, Debbie Wardrop, Cleone Telling, Aaron Terada, Joe Alfano, Crystie Kisler TCC friends present: County Commissioner Kathleen Kler, Christina Pivarnik, Lorna Mann TCC Marketing Coordinator present: Steve Shively Minutes from previous meeting were reviewed. Chair Bill Roney, called for APPROVAL OF approval of TCC minutes from the meeting conducted on May 9, 2017. Motion MINUTES to approve by Debbie Wardrop, seconded by Cleone Telling. Minutes unanimously approved. Steve reviewed the TCC YTD May 2017 financials. Noting that JeffCo. County APPROVAL OF Treasurer reports show Lodging Tax at record highs for the period, TCC FINANCIALS outperforming YTD 4-year averages for the same time by 29.9%! TCCs allocated spending for spring 2017 continues to be expended as anticipated against budgeted year-round campaigns. Motion to approve by Debbie Wardrop, seconded by Cleone Telling. May Financial report unanimously approved. COMMISSIONERS Commissioner Kler commented on ongoing discussions at BoCC related to UPDATE housing inventory. Be it inventory for visitors, service level staff at attractions and accommodations, or even executive local government and school wage earners in areas from Port Townsend Quilcene. All sectors are seeing impacts from insufficient quantity of appropriately priced inventory. Additional meetings held with DNR who is looking at additional recreation opportunities beyond traditional forest management practices. WTA UPDATE Christina reported regarding ongoing efforts for legislation related to current legislative efforts related to HB1123 / SB5251 bills for funding state-wide tourism. Both bills continue status of reintroduced and retained in present status for 3rd Special Session of Legislation. Local District 24 elected representatives have demonstrated their unified support for tourism. Current status is stay-tuned, as overtime legislation status continues with partial State Government shutdown, e.g. State Parks, County Water Quality, etc., looming. All non-essential segments of state government need to be identified and given advance notice of possible shutdowns. Aaron spoke of potential impacts to reservation holders accommodations, and hospitality staffers jobs. Nationally, Brand USA is not funded in current administrations budget. TCC members shared anecdotal local concerns of international travelers, including Canadians, with both economics and politics adding barriers to travel. Crystie encouraged us to focus on our authentic offerings of hospitality and natural resources, attracting visitors from across the Puget Sound or across the borders is our goal to help them discover what is just across the water. Should partial shut-down of State Government occur, Steve pledged that TCC will help with communicating news and alternatives for both travelers and impacted hospitality professionals. Various FAM tours queued up to come onto Olympic Peninsula, e.g. from UKs Mail On Sunday, coordinated through OPTC and care of Port of Seattle and the just launched Race to Alaska good news press, will certainly help keep the positive narrative regarding the Olympic Peninsula in the press. OPTC REPORT Marsha is returning from IPWA in Washington DC, with scores of appointments scheduled with tour operators interested in the Olympic Peninsula. Bill Roney reported on OPTCs review of the successful Instagram campaign run by OPTC and administered by our friends at Blackball Ferry. Visually beautiful results! The campion website www.ontheolympicpeninsula.com will support our marketing efforts for a long time to come. Other OPTC news of note included Forks completing Twilight exhibit installations. TCC MARKETING TCC Marketing Report - COORDINATORS Steve reviewed with TCC on going marketing work accomplished on behalf of REPORT Council, highlights included: Brief recap of the OPTC lead Instagram campaign with anticipation of additional images posted into summer. Analytics from EnjoyOlympicPeninsula.com website with continued utilization of UTrip travel planners usage at our on-line web app. Web analytics attributed a continued month-over-month increase in both planning horizon as well as average trip durations. Social media reach in excess of 8,000 people helps communicate the Enjoy Olympic Peninsula message to an ever-wider audience. Recent ad placements in MV Coho magazine, PT Getaway Guide, Olympic Culinary Loop MAP and WA State Travel planner. Steve informed TCC regarding research findings for top 10 accommodation booking sites during 1Q 2017. Community Marketplace, i.e. Airbnb, Vrbo.com and HomeAway accounts for 50% of books, and represents a large segment of total lodging inventory found in Jefferson County. Steve is obtaining TCC marketing options with the new Airbnbmag lifestyle magazine in an effort to tap into the critical mass of this Community Marketplace channel. Steve shared initial plans for the Olympic Peninsula - Fall Apple Festival. Preliminary details are: Friday Oct. 13 Farmhouse Feast featuring Chevy Chase Golf o Course, Alpenfire Cidery, chef Hope Borsato Saturday Oct 14 Cider Tasting Festival at the Palindrome, o 10+ cideries, food pairing, hor doeuvres and food trucks. Plus after party at Propolis Sunday Oct. 15 World Apple Day Celebration Centered at o TCC MARKETING Finnriver + Open Houses at Eaglemount, Alpenfire, COORDINATORS Marrowstone, Admiralty Distillers. Featuring: Events and REPORT (Cont.) ceremonies at Finnriver Cider Olympics, family games, live music. Area Update Sharing: AREA UPDATES Port Ludlow: Debbie briefly referred us to their website for event details of the many special events happening at Port Ludlow. Additional mentions include: Port Ludlow has a lot of employment opportunities right now. Theyve successfully rebooked, and are possibly expanding future retreat sessions, with the Knitters. Yoga every Sunday 8-9AM Sunday (Wine) School tasting sessions held the 4 th Sunday of each month. Salmon Bake take on a traditional potlach coming in July and August Quilcene Museum Cleone share news of the Worthington House Museum including: Open 4-days / week. Welcoming lots of out-of-area visitors Over $33,000 worth of volunteer labor has helped saved construction costs against funding from their allocated Heritage Grant. Looking forward to two upcoming weddings and receptions to be hosted at Worthington House. Everyone is invited to Wine Tasting August 11, 5-8PM Mountain Mechanics new business is booming in downtown Quilcene Gateway VIC Bill reports lower percentage of international visitors with an approximate 50/50 mix between out-of-state and in-state visitors. Bill is sensing another staycation summer. Second monthly gain in visitors over 2016. May enjoyed an 11% increase. Gateway continues to track visitor ship trends in lock-step with Port Townsend. Changes in technology continue to impact traditional visitor center uses. Survey results at the Gateway indicate that the visitors center hosts 90- 95% of traffic using facility for activities other than Visitor Information Center purposes. Resulting in much larger facility impacts than in relationship to actual number of people who come inside. Fort Flagler: Aaron share details of various Park activities. Including: Busy summer has already started. Full team of Park Aides beginning work. Museum open 11-4 daily with season running Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. Working with the Business Development Team at Parks HQ considering a number of enterprise enhancements at Fort Flagler directed to increase revenue and inventory, including: Adding the historic Hospital building on-line for event rentals, o Splitting Camp Hoskins Dormitory from the Theater for mixed o AREA UPDATES reservation flexibility, Major capital project still on scheduled funding dependent o (Continue) for 2018-19, focusing on historic buildings roofs, doors, windows, etc. Bringing the old Marrowstone Music Fest rehearsal classroom o cabins back on-line as potential tiny house overnight accommodations. Send Aaron letter of support and encouragement. Port Townsend Tourism Christina shared that busy Spring underway in Port Townsend, including: Festival of Sails with Tall Ships sail by. Race2Alaska has taken off, with SUP and Kayakers doing well on the first leg of race June is filled with all sorts of events, including: Taste of Port Townsend by Mainstreet o Concerts On the Dock o Centrum concerts o Mainstreet marketing to focus on Jan June 2018 Water Street o construction project. Bill is pleased that Fort Wordens boat ramp is once again re-opened! Tri-Area, Chimacum Crystie reported the following lively start of summer: Roots and Routes land grant workshop regarding land use, walkability, etc. Excellent brainstorming session, has come out of recent CIRD (Citizens Institute on Rural Design) meetings. Finnrivers National Endowment of Arts grant will be seen in the July 15 Chimacum Interdepended Day. Full of Music, film, activites, and celebration of George Huntingfords 100th birthday, Keg & I tap house on Chimacum Road sometime this summer. Seattle Met Mag. Photo journalist will feature Chimacum as one of the 25 most wonderful things to see on the Olympic Peninsula story. Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce will be stopping at Finnriver as their lone Jefferson Co. stop across the Olympic Peninsula. Wine Enthusiast mag will be visiting Finnriver later this month. WSUs annual Farm Tour is calendared for September. Windmill at Chimacum Farm Store is up! Steve reported that Jefferson County Food Banks has purchased the former Hadlock Mattress & Furniture Discount Outlet at 760 Chimacum Rd, Port Hadlock. Community trail from Library to Baseball field going in this summer 100th Year of Chimacum Grange later this summer. Busy! West end Joe reported on details from Kalaloch: Great weather lots of whale sightings off the Gazebo. Paving project in camp ground has closed 1/3 of campground at a time. AREA UPDATES Dodging raindrops to complete construction has been a challenge. Good overnight occupancy, with summer rates coming on-line soon. (Continue) New summer menu expanded selection. Yum! Thanks to the J1 Visa program, Kalaloch has welcomed 15 seasonal employees on property. Many traveling from Eastern Europe to work this summer at Kalaloch. Their in-house employee recreation program will sign-up groups of 6 at a time to explore the Olympic Peninsula. Joe asked for assistance think internal FAM tour to help itinerate his touring staff through Port Ludlow, Chimacum, Marrowstone Island and Port Townsend. All TCC stakeholders enthusiastically agreed to helpout. Joe thanked Bill for the History of Jefferson County book Olympic Peninsula National Marine Sanctuaries Get into your Sanctuary event each summer, with Kalaloch as a centerpiece of activities. Joe reported that Kalaloch is working on hosting a BBQ for event. P.T. Marketing Christina shared a very full listing of Port Townsend events. Including: Steampunk Tall ships sail by today honoring 225th anniversary of Vancouver R2AK in full swing Plenty of events including: Orca month o Thursdays Taste of PT c/o Main Street o July Concerts on the Dock o Construction is Coming! New marketing committee under Mainstreet to focus on the o Water street Jan Jun. 2018 road construction. Breakwater at Port Hudson might impact Wooden Boat Fest. o Fall 2018 In County Hwy 20 construction will encompass Four- o Corners to Ferry terminal Lake Crescent 12-mile highway construction will be on-going. o JC Visitors Center Lorna shared that theyve been active participating in Junes national Orca month. VIC has a great photo opportunity with a beautiful Photo booth built by local business: Alba Creative. #PTOrcafest, #Albabackdrops. th Next meeting focus August 8 focus on initial 2018 budget and funding request FUTURE MEETING discussions to be reviewed. After the TCC business meeting Bill has extended FOCUS invite and a hosted thank you luncheon at the Fireside for all TCC members. Adjournment - There being no further business, the TCC meeting was adjourned at 12:02 pm, ADJORN Next meeting of TCC is scheduled for August 8, 2017 10AM at the Andrews Suite, Inn at Port Ludlow. Followed by a TCC appreciation luncheon at the Fireside Restaurant.