Focusing on health and wellness
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One of the many wonderful aspects of Sonoma County is that it lends itself to a healthy lifestyle.
We have clean air, nice weather, local organic produce, and a seemingly limitless range of activities we can engage in. A
study
published in September 2017 by Gallup-Sharecare ranked Santa Rosa fifth for most regular exercise out of the 189 cities surveyed.
Here at Sonoma County Tourism we're putting more focus on wellness than ever. Why? It benefits everyone.
We are more alert, productive, energetic, patient, and optimistic when we are fit. This helps us be better both at work and at home. We’re better workers, mates, and parents.
It’s even good for our local tourism industry. Have you noticed that you enjoy visiting places more where the locals are genuinely healthy and happy? This is an opportunity for yet another competitive advantage over other destinations.
We invite you to join us in our quest for optimum health by participating with us in the six-week iWalk challenge Aug. 27 to Oct. 7. We’ll be tracking our steps while receiving motivational newsletters, workout ideas, and local trail suggestions. Participants, teams, and organizations will have chances to win awards and prizes. Find out more at:
stjosephhealth.org/for-employers/work-healthy/wellness-challenges
.
Also, consider taking the Sonoma County Trails Challenge. Hike, run, or bike at five or more featured trails anytime from June through September and get a Trails Challenge T-shirt. Share your trail photos on social media and you’ll become eligible for park memberships and REI trail gear giveaways. You can download the challenge guide at
parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Play/Trails-Challenge
.
Health and happiness are intrinsically intertwined. When we’re our best selves we are able to give our best to others.
- Bill
(Photo on Coleman Valley Road, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.)
Bill Judson, CFO
Sonoma County Tourism
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Advertising opportunities
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The
2019 issue of the must-have Official Sonoma County Visitors Guide and Map
— a comprehensive travel planner published in partnership with Sonoma County Tourism and Studio M Publishing
— is in the works.
Learn more.
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Sonoma County Tourism is anchoring a two-page co-op ad in the 2019 California Visitor's Guide, a 200-page all-inclusive travel planner designed to inspire consumers traveling to and within California.
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Save the date:
Sonoma County Tourism 2018 Annual Meeting
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Date:
Aug. 30, 2018
Time:
7:30 – 10 a.m.
This has been an extraordinary year in the history of Sonoma County and Sonoma County Tourism. Join us as we look back at the year and forward to a promising future.
More details to come.
Registration will open soon.
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California Economic Summit set for Santa Rosa
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Register today to get the early bird rates for the 2018 California Economic Summit, Nov. 15 and 16 in Santa Rosa. This is the seventh annual statewide gathering of this growing network
—
the largest group of business, equity, environmental, and civic organizations working year round to improve upward mobility, build more housing, create a strong workforce, and strengthen the state's water sustainability. Regional tours will be hosted by Sonoma County partners on Nov. 14, with activities to explore Sonoma County over the weekend after the summit. Learn more at
summit.caeconomy.org
.
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Add SCT guides, maps to your event packets
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Got an event coming up? Be sure to request copies of the Sonoma County Visitors Guide and the Wine and Visitors Map to give to participants.
For example, the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber recently ordered 3,200 maps, to be included in the welcome packets for the Ironman 70.3 Santa Rosa competition on July 28.
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Sonoma County and the Media
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Sonoma County in the news ...
Sonoma County Tourism continues to assist the media when they visit and write about our beautiful region, working with our partners to let the media discover the best this region has to offer. Here's a brief sampling of the results — recent articles and blogs promoting Sonoma County.
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By Robert Firpo-Cappiello
Budget Travel (UMV: 1,466,698)
As a result of being hosted in the town of Sonoma, editor-in-chief Firpo-Cappiello highlights it as #2 on his list of the coolest small town, under the theme, “A wine lover’s paradise.”
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By Jill Fergus
Best Products (UMV: 647,311)
After a deskside appointment with Fergus in October and ongoing media relations, Sonoma Wine Country made the list or romantic getaways.
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By Kelsy Chauvin
Fodor’s Travel (UMV: 4,745,654)
Out In The Vineyard’s Gay Wine Weekend in the Sonoma Valley is #5 in this roundup of LGBTQ events nationwide.
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By Carl Nolte
San Francisco Chronicle (UMV: 840,701)
This column highlights the newest getaway — escaping SF’s fog by taking the SMART train to sunny Petaluma, “the hidden gem of the North Bay.”
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May saw continued increases in all segments, with Sonoma County leading competing destinations in average daily rate and occupancy.
After several months of artificially high increases seen after the 2017 wildfires, these statistics are back in the "normal" range for Sonoma County's monthly changes.
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Survey indicates leisure travel may decline
For the first time in 12 years, travel marketing firm MMGY forecasts a decline in the number of vacations Americans will take. According to an annual survey, 21 percent of travelers intend to take more vacations in the next 12 months compared to the last 12 months, and 30 percent said they plan to take fewer — a 9-point negative variance in vacation intentions.
Focusing on Baby Boomers
Travel is as guilty as any other industry of sidelining older people in favor of the younger generations. In one sense this is nothing new. What is different, however, is the number of people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s who want to travel and more importantly how much money they have at their disposal.
UNWTO calls for action on sustainable tourism
The United Nations’ World Tourism Organization is calling for greater awareness of sustainability in tourism policies, business practices, and even tourist behavior.
Its recently released “Tourism for Development” publication offers concrete recommendations for using tourism as an effective means to achieve sustainable development.
London tackles overtourism with gaming app
London & Partners
, the city’s tourism board, is targeting
overtourism
in central London with
Play London With Mr. Bean
, a free mobile app game that shows travelers different attractions around London. Visiting those attractions earns points toward vouchers and discounts. The idea is to disperse those visitors across the city to avoid congestion.
SF restaurants doing without waiters
The city of San Francisco offers a case study of how high housing costs alter the economics of everything else, including restaurant service. At Souvla, a Greek restaurant with a popular following, runners bring your order to the table but there are no servers to wait on you — or at other popular restaurants opened in the last two years.
United weighing ‘creepy’ versus ‘personalized’ in new app
There are limits to how much an airline like United knows about you and that is comforting to some travelers. But putting the data it does have to good use remains a challenge, although there is nothing controversial about wishing someone a happy birthday.
South Dakota eyeing Chinese travelers
South Dakota tourism officials are targeting a foreign country with a big appetite for international travel. State officials are working with a marketing company in China to try to attract the millions of Chinese tourists who come to the United States each year.
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