Doubling down and forging ahead
As we near the milestone of the second year beyond the fires, we are keenly aware of the need to bring visitors back to the destination. While some tourism-facing businesses are doing well, we know others continue to be challenged.

Each team at Sonoma County Tourism is working on both tried and true programs and new initiatives meant to compel visitation from both business and leisure travelers.

Our fall consumer campaign has begun and will run through November. This campaign, with a total budget of $200,000, is constructed to reach potential visitors in key markets including the Bay Area, Los Angeles/Orange County, San Diego, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Seattle, and Portland. Through media relations efforts, we are also touching our key international markets. 

In this campaign, we’re focusing on different experiences to be had during harvest season. On the shoulders of Wine Enthusiast magazine recognizing Sonoma County as the 2019 Wine Region of the Year, we are promoting the destination through a wine lens, including experiences at wineries during this glorious time of the year. 

Part of our marketing mix included a segment on Good Morning America this week, where we worked with Emily Kaufman – The Travel Mom – to showcase Sonoma County to a national audience. One lucky couple won a giveaway to the area, sponsored by SCT.

We’re doubling down on telling potential visitors about you. We commit to being incomparable storytellers, sharing stories of our winemakers, chefs, farmers, artisans, and makers in Sonoma County. We talk about the wine, food, craft beers, outdoor adventures, cheese, arts and cultural offerings, cities and towns – our amazing breadth of visitor experiences. We tell the stories so potential travelers get to know you.

We also are committed to telling the story of our hospitality industry to our local communities. We inform our neighbors that tourism is an important economic driver for Sonoma County – a $2.1 billion industry – and it supports one in 10 jobs.

We’re also forging ahead. Shortly, we will be reaching out to each of our industry segments, key stakeholders, and residents to begin conversations to help inform our Destination Roadmap – a long-term plan for Sonoma County as a destination. These will be critical conversations as we work to ultimately align us all around a shared vision for the future.

As a destination stewardship organization, we are constantly working to ensure we get the right visitors into the destination; visitors who will care for Sonoma County, like we do. We are inviting 1 million travelers – and our partners and residents – to sign our “travel kindly” pledge . It serves as a reminder to choose to make a positive impact to the well-being of Sonoma County, as well as the destinations we visit. Please let us know if you have any great stories about one of the pledge components by emailing us here .

As always, my door is open, my email is available ( cvecchio@sonomacounty.com ) and my phone generally works at 707-522-5804. If you have a concern or a compliment, please let me know. Thank you for your continued partnership.

– Claudia

Claudia Vecchio, president/chief executive officer
Sonoma County Tourism
Sonoma County: Wine Region of the Year
Sonoma County has been named 2019 Wine Region of the Year by  Wine Enthusiast , for the magazine’s 20th annual Wine Star Awards.

 “Sonoma County is one of the most diverse and progressive winegrowing regions in the world,” said Adam Strum, chairman and publisher of  Wine Enthusiast . “It is renowned for producing high-quality wines of distinction. The region is also a standard-bearer for best practices beyond just wine production, as a champion of true sustainability.”
 
Sonoma County will appear in the special Dec. 31  Wine Enthusiast  “Best of Year” issue and will be presented the Wine Star Award trophy at the 20th anniversary black-tie awards dinner on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

For more information, read the full press release here .
Celebrate Sonoma County Wine Month
Cheers to Sonoma County with, you guessed it, Sonoma County wines. For the fourth year, the Sonoma County Vintners has designated October as a dedicated month to explore California’s most diverse wine region. With more than 60 varietals of wines crafted across 18 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), Sonoma County is home to more than 425 wineries. Find out more here .
Help shape the future of California tourism
Visit California is developing the state’s first statewide Destination Stewardship plan to protect the long-term vibrancy of the tourism industry. They are conducting a survey as part of the discovery phase of the planning process. Help shape the plan by sharing your input.
SCT News
From left, Susan Takano, Devin McConnell, Ben Boone, Cea Higgins, and Deleyse Langdale lead the crew to clean up the coast.
Volunteers work to clean up the Sonoma County coastline.

All photos by Will Bucquoy 
The coast is cleaner because of these generous volunteers.
Coming together to clean up the coast

More than 70 volunteers came out to the Bodega Dunes beach on Sept. 21 for the summer 2019 Sonoma County Tourism Cares clean-up event. Sonoma County Tourism partnered with Coastwalk California Coastal Trail Association for this effort, as part of the statewide California Coastal Clean-up Day.
 
Approximately 46 pounds of trash was collected along the Bodega Dunes beach. The bulk of the debris gathered by volunteers consisted of small items. The most frequent objects discovered were cigarette butts, bottle caps, and various small plastic/polystyrene foam pieces. It is these small pieces of trash that can have the biggest negative impact on coastal wildlife.
 
All of the debris collected was weighed and recorded so that the data could then be passed on to the Ocean Conservancy. The combined data from California Coastal Clean-up Day is then used to help create solutions for reducing the amount of waste entering our oceans and coastline.
SCT welcomes new staff

In order to keep its promise to deliver the best possible service to Sonoma County's tourism and hospitality community, SCT has added staff and reorganized teams and job duties. The staff will be featured here during the next few issues, starting with new team members.
Ben Boone, marketing coordinator
As marketing coordinator, Ben supports the marketing and communications team. He brings skills in web design, analytics, and content development.

“I have lived in Sonoma County for over 20 years. My position at SCT allows me to work with our partners to keep their content current on our website and to help people discover that Sonoma County is a versatile travel destination. What drew me to my current position was how much I enjoy the county myself. I love the outdoors and never have to stray far to find a great hike or a nice vineyard.”
Tracy Koch, administrative coordinator
Tracy facilitates and supports the operations department and executive office, maintaining systems and handling daily business operations of SCT, all the while representing SCT to the general public.

“Having been involved in Sonoma County hospitality, wine industry, restaurants, and event planning over the last 20 years, I’m excited about the opportunity to support the endeavors of Sonoma County Tourism on a much larger scale.”
Katja West, marketing data & systems specialist 
Katja worked as a contractor for SCT for five years, primarily in data management. She recently came on board full time to expand the data management and systems program.

“I am excited to take our database usage to the next level so that we can report back on all of the great things that Sonoma County Tourism does for our community. I love working with data and a big Excel spreadsheet. And I really like people; so if you have a question about your business listing, please reach out. I am thrilled to be a part of an organization that is taking a stance on sustainable tourism, as a resident and also as someone who loves to travel.”
Helping visitors, businesses plan ahead

Two online toolkits list resources for visitors and local businesses
during seasonal weather-related events:


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.
Breaking News: On Oct. 2, The Travel Mom, Emily Kaufman, left, was featured on Good Morning America, with Robin Roberts. Emily touted Sonoma County as a perfect "grown-up getaway." SCT worked with Emily to provide a trip giveaway to one lucky couple from New York City. Cheers to that! Watch the entire segment here.
By Brittany Anas
Simplemost (UMV: 3,715,259
SCT outreach efforts resulted in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg leading this roundup of affordable wine-country getaways. The article highlights Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Garden and Jordan Vineyard and Winery.
Red Tricycle (UMV: 1,572,434)
Thanks to SCT’s ongoing relationship with the outlet, this list of top travel trends includes “Sip and Savor in Wine Country” featuring Francis Ford Coppola and Benziger Family wineries, plus “Sustainable Travel Helps Communities” highlighting SCT’s partnership with Kind Traveler.
By Laura Itzkowitz
Architectural Digest (UMV: 1,494,611)
As a result of SCT outreach, Sonoma County makes this short list as a must-visit destination for art and design enthusiasts, highlighting Sonoma County Cider Week, Farmhouse Inn, and the Art in the Redwoods Festival. 
By Emerson
Only in Your State (UMV: 5,294,047)
In addition to its wine slushies, this article highlights the food, wine, scenery, and charming atmosphere at Chateau Diana in Healdsburg.
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. If 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.
Research
The chart above shows occupancy and average daily rate (ADR) year-to-date for August 2019 compared to 2018. While down from last year, the 2019 numbers show a return to levels seen before the October 2017 wildfires. The addition of new hotel rooms is affecting the overall occupancy rates.
Industry news
Costa Rica maturing from ecotourism to sustainable tourism
Costa Rica’s Minister of Tourism Maria Amalia Revelo said recently that the country is moving on from being just an ecotourism pioneer to one that embraces the wider vision of sustainability. And the only way to develop sustainable tourism, she said, is not just creating tourism wealth but distributing it and improving the quality of life for communities.
 
Los Cabos opens international office in Los Angeles
Less than a  year  after Mexico’s national tourism board  was dismantled , the Los Cabos Tourism Board opened its first international office in Los Angeles, California.
Los Cabos will now be the only Mexican destination to have a promotional office outside of Mexico.

How Generation Z is changing travel for older generations
Generation Z, or those individuals born after the years 1995–2000 (there’s no clear consensus, studies differ), are growing in influence and spending power, especially in the travel arena. But don’t think that Gen Z is anything like the Millennial Generation. Millennials and members of Gen Z differ highly when it comes to what they want in a travel experience and what they’re willing to do to get it.

Study says happy employees lead to happy customers
A happy customer is a repeat customer, or so the saying goes. But how can a business keep clients satisfied? The answer is to treat employees well, according to a recent study by Glassdoor, a website that let workers assess employers.

Eastern Europe’s tricky balance on avoiding overtourism
The days of seeing overtourism as “a nice problem to have” are over. While they are still intent on building thriving tourism economies, some Eastern Europe tourism officials are also learning from the mistakes of their western neighbors.
 
Women-only adventure travel is surging
For Sonya Pevzner, 27, a blogger and multimedia storyteller, an all-female course was the perfect way to experience mountaineering for the first time. She didn’t seek out an adventure designed for women only; she stumbled upon it while chatting with a friend. But, once she thought about it, she realized it was the safest space for her to learn a new skill set.

U.S. outdoor recreation industry brings in $427.2 billion in 2017
The U.S. outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.2 percent ($427.2 billion) of the nation's current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017, according to statistics recently released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Inflation-adjusted (real) GDP for the outdoor recreation economy grew by 3.9 percent in 2017, faster than the 2.4 percent growth of the overall U.S. economy.
 
Utah aquarium adding ‘The Claw’ — a U2 Tour Stage
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, Utah, is starting to erect "The Claw," a former U2 tour stage that will become the centerpiece of the aquarium's new plaza. The 165-foot-tall structure was used on the band's 360° Tour from 2009 to 2011. The aquarium is undergoing a major expansion that will see an 80,000 square foot Science Learning Campus built next to the plaza where The Claw will be located.