NEWS RELEASES
Visit California Mounts Efforts To Rebuild Tourism
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Skift's website.
Skift, a tourism news site, reports that Visit California and other tourism organizations in the state are rallying to offset the impact on tourism created by several years of devastating wildfires. While visitor numbers and revenue continue to grow, officials are concerned about the long term effects on the state’s image. Caroline Beteta, CEO of Visit California, says her organization, with input from over 1,000 tourism industry members, is developing a Destination Stewardship Plan to address the impact of wildfires and climate change and the need for affordable workforce housing. The plan is expected to be released in May, 2020.
The Napa and Sonoma wine regions have been hardest hit by the wildfires. The Tubbs and Atlas fires in October 2017 destroyed entire neighborhoods and two major hotels in Santa Rosa as well as multiple wineries throughout Sonoma and Napa Counties. This year, the Kincade Fire burned over 77,000 acres in Sonoma during October, destroying the historic Soda Rock Winery. Tourism organizations are responding to the bad press that came with the wildfires with several initiatives. Claudia Vecchio, CEO of Sonoma County Tourism, reports her company is launching a Gather in Sonoma initiative, aimed at the drive market during the winter holiday period, and Life Opens Up, a program positioning Sonoma County as a spring destination. Linsey Gallagher, CEO of Visit Napa Valley, says her organization is redirecting emphasis from the fall harvest season to the “Cabernet Season,” November through April.
Read the full Skift report here.