Along with the tourism industry nationwide, we celebrated National Travel and Tourism week earlier this month. While one week per year is dedicated to this commemoration, tourism is truly an industry of value 52 weeks a year.
First, we’re all travelers. Whether we actually take trips, or simply dream about far away destinations, travel transforms, de-stresses, and energizes us. Travel is the most important way for us to break down barriers. We flourish by meeting people, learning new cultures, and gaining insights into other lifestyles.
Second, travel and tourism drives economies. Myriad examples exist of locales that went from depressed economies to vibrant ones through incorporating experiences and products that appeal to travelers. These might be depressed downtowns turned into arts districts, former manufacturing buildings turned into multi-use shopping and entertainment spaces, or brownfield lands turned into golf courses or amusement parks. Developing tourism offerings can result in broad-ranging economic benefits.
- Americans whose first job was in travel went on to earn a maximum average salary of $82,400 by the time they were 50 years old — higher than workers whose first jobs were in manufacturing, health care and most other industries.
- The travel industry is one of the top 10 largest employers of middle-class wage earners in the U.S.
- Nearly four in 10 (38 percent) Americans’ first job was in travel and tourism. This fact spans across gender, race, and ethnicity.
- The skills gained through travel industry employment inspire entrepreneurship, particularly for women. Of women who started their career in the travel industry, 14 percent now consider themselves an entrepreneur; the same percentage are business owners.
To Sonoma County's more than 22,300 tourism employees, we thank you for all you’re doing to create a tremendous visitor experience, share your insights to enhance a visitor’s journey, and convey the Sonoma County “Life Opens Up” brand to our visitors from around the world.
Sonoma County has dealt with more than its share of challenges in the past 18 months, but we continue to be a beacon for travelers seeking a place that offers a chance to connect with the land and each other, experience majestic natural resources, and celebrate our unmatched culinary and drink artisans.
This is, perhaps, the greatest value of all … that as stewards, when we share our destination with others, we more fully appreciate and preserve this place we call home.
- Claudia
Claudia Vecchio, president/chief executive officer
Sonoma County Tourism
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California Tourism Month, May 2019
This is officially California Tourism Month. To demonstrate power of the tourism industry and its importance to all Californians, Visit California launched a website explaining how tourism not only generates visitor spending year after year, it creates thousands of jobs and underwrites billions in government services with the tax revenue it creates. To learn more, visit
TravelMattersCA.com.
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Sonoma County and the Media
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Samantha Brown, left, pauses on the Sonoma coast with
Margaret Lindgren of Unbeaten Path Tours & Yoga.
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Samantha Brown films new show in Sonoma County
Samantha Brown visited Sonoma County recently to film her new PBS show
Samantha Brown: Places I Love
. Brown recently won two 2019 Emmy awards
– one
for Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program and another for Outstanding Host for a Lifestyle, Children's, or Special Class Program. While filming in Sonoma County, she visited a number of locations including the Charles M Schultz Museum, the coastline in Bodega Bay and Jenner Highlands, makers and culinary artists in Sebastopol, the Achadinha Cheese Company in Petaluma, and Safari West – among a number of other stops. Great thanks to our partners for hosting the crew.
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Sonoma County in the news ...
Sonoma County Tourism's work with the media is ongoing, getting the word out about our destination. Here's a sampling of some of the recent stories promoting Sonoma County.
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By Myffy Rigby
The Sydney Morning Herald
(UMV: 7,579,260)
SCT hosted Myffy Rigby in December 2018, which resulted in this article that includes Farmhouse Inn, Valette, SingleThread, Duke’s Spirited Cocktails, Wine Country Car and Driver, Rainbow Cattle Company, Boon Eat + Drink, Autocamp Russian River, and Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.
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By Christine Sarkis
SmarterTravel (UMV: 3,478,350)
SCT hosted editor Sarkis on the December “Life Opens Up” FAM tour, and as a result Guerneville was featured in the outlet’s ongoing column, “How to do a Weekend in …” The column highlights Boon Hotel + Spa, Autocamp Russian River, Cottages on River Road, Establishment Hotel, Big Bottom Market, Boon Eat + Drink, Chile Pies Baking Co., Stumptown Brewery, Armstrong Redwoods, Johnson’s Beach, and Korbel California Champagne Cellars.
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By Romain Brethes
Le Point (UMV: 3,081,000)
SCT’s ongoing relations with Visit California resulted in this article about Sonoma Valley, also known as the Valley of the Moon. “Jack London loved it. In Sonoma, … we gorge ourselves with wine and beauty.”
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Conde Nast Traveler
(UMV: 5,351,474)
As a result of SCT pitching Paul Rubio at Conde Nast Traveler, this article begins with a section on “Eat, drink, and hike your way through California Wine Country,” mentioning Autocamp Russian River, Armstrong Redwoods, and J Vineyards & Winery.
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By Devorah Lev-Tov
Jetsetter (UMV: 405,330)
As a result of SCT hosting writer Lev-Tov in 2018, this article includes a section on a ‘A culinary weekend in Sonoma, CA” which mentions SingleThread, Della Fattoria, Madrona Manor, Hana Japanese, Ramen Gaijan, Stockhome, LaSalette, Spinster Sisters, Barndiva, Glen Ellen Star, McClelland’s Dairy, Redwood Hill Farm, Dry Creek Peach & Produce, and Farmhouse Inn.
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By Amelia Mularz
Mr. & Mrs. Smith travel club
(UMV: 433,320)
SCT hosted writer Amelia Mularz on the December “Life Opens Up” FAM tour, resulting in this article highlighting Sonoma County’s wine, spirits, and craft beer scene. The story includes Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens, Belden Barns, Horse & Plow, Lime Stone, and more.
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To See Other Stories ...
Check out all the latest examples of Sonoma County in the news at
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What's New in Sonoma County? Journalists want to know
SCT sends out a monthly press release to thousands of journalists each month that announces what's new in the region. The individual announcements are also posted online at
www.sonomacounty.com/media/whats-new. I
f you have something new happening at your business, please
submit
that information. And feel free to share What's New items on your own social media or with potential visitors and clients.
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These results reflect a year that was in no way normal. The destination is still grappling with the aftermath of the 2017 fires and this year’s flood. The first quarter of 2019 has been soft.
For Tourism Update, SCT tracks the year-to-date statistics. Please see our statistics page for regularly updated information: www.sonomacounty.com/statistics.
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Why tourism marketing is so political in the US
As Visit Florida sounds the alarm over threats to its very existence, tourism experts around the country hear a warning. The drama in Florida is the latest example of how hotly politicized publicly funded tourism has become in the U.S., mostly at the state and local levels.
The newest trend in bars: No booze
It was around 9 p.m. at a corner bar off a main drag in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Two good friends and I raised froth-filled cocktail glasses at Getaway, a two-week-old bar where no alcohol is served. Our highball and coup cups were filled not with the usual whiskey or mezcal, but a hodgepodge of gussied-up mocktail ingredients like coconut milk and elderflower syrup.
Yelp asks reviewers to report restaurants’ single-use plastics
As part of a new initiative, Yelp will ask reviewers if restaurants are eco-friendly. To start, Yelp said it plans to use the data internally, to better understand how to assess the sustainability of a restaurant’s practices. Options for reviewers to select include: no plastic straws, no plastic utensils, no plastic bags, reusable cup discount, and compostable containers.
Burger King launches plant-based Whoppers nationwide
It only took a month of
market testing in St. Louis, Missouri, for Burger King to decide that the plant-based Impossible Whopper was ready for a larger stage. The fast food chain announced recently that the Impossible Whopper would be launching in new markets soon, with a target of nationwide distribution by the end of the year.
Tension grows over legality, popularity of CBD products
When the police raided Amy Wazwaz’s tobacco shop in North Texas, officers seized every product containing CBD oil, from bath balms to lollipops. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a chemical compound derived from the cannabis plant, but one that does not result in a high. While CBD is now as common as coffee in some neighborhoods, sold in shopping malls, and has been tested by the national hamburger chain Carl’s Jr., possession of CBD in some places can prompt an arrest.
Marriott is officially getting into homesharing
Marriott, the world’s largest hotel company with more than 7,000 hotels around the world, is officially getting into the homesharing business with the launch of
Homes & Villas by Marriott International in 100 destinations. A year after it began conducting a homesharing pilot, the 91-year-old hotel group appears convinced it can compete with travel disruptors Airbnb, HomeAway, and others in the space.
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