April 2019 Member Update
Message from the President & CEO

Hello TCVB Friends,
 
You may have noticed that at the TCVB we don’t sit still. We are constantly coming up with new ideas to promote and sustain tourism. Stewardship and transportation initiatives are taking center stage this summer as we grow the Tuolumne County is Too Cool to Trash campaign and we work with the Tuolumne County Transit Agency to provide free transportation via the Tuolumne Adventure Trolley every Saturday May through September. We are proud to be partnering with our community to support a clean, healthy environment and alternative transportation options.
 
May is California Tourism Month and May 5th-11th is National Tourism Week and we are celebrating! During the week we will be sharing the latest travel impact reports, we’ll have special resolutions read, take part in Why Travel Matters takeovers on social media and we’ll be hosting a Gold Rush Rally FAM.

We will also be celebrating tourism at the TCVB’s 2019 Tourism Showcase and Annual Dinner on May 8 th from 5-7:30pm at Hurst Ranch, Jamestown. It’ll be a fun and informative evening as we hear from Visit California, Black Diamond, and Under Canvas, a new lodging property near Highway 120. Cost is $20/person and includes C & C Taqueria Taco Bar! We might have some fun giveaways, too – just sayin’! Please RSVP here .
 
 

All the best,

Lisa

Lisa Mayo
President & CEO
Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau
Membership Updates
Debbe Pallante, TCVB Office and Membership Manager
Hi Everyone!

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for joining with the TCVB on this exciting Tourism journey we are on. May is California Tourism Month. It is sure to be a fun one!

Another reminder: Now is the time to update your listing on our website and add those pictures! I can show you how to link us to your Facebook or Instagram announcements. It’s just another way to get more attention for your business.

I would like to welcome our newest members:

The Rock of Twain Harte. They have some of the best burgers, a wide array of beer on tap, and lots of delicious choices for every appetite. It is a great place to sit outside and enjoy a meal in the beautiful outdoors.

A must see! Ranch Revived in Groveland. It is an amazing specialty store that has a rustic, rural, yet modern feel. She features great decor and gift choices. American made and locally crafted items.

The Gunn House Hotel located downtown Sonora. Walking distance to all that downtown Sonora offers. They have a pool for those hot summer days! Delicious breakfast buffet every morning.

The Palm Hotel in Jamestown. Quaint Bed and Breakfast within walking distance of downtown Jamestown. Antique filled, Victorian style rooms. Great for a night away or for your guests to stay.

Hope to see you all at our May 8 th event at Hurst Ranch!


Email or call me at debbe@gotuolumne.com or 209-533-4420 with updates.
Marketing Updates
Jen Lopez, TCVB Marketing Manager
Marketing is full throttle and as we put the final touches on springtime and early summer promotions, we're already beginning to look ahead to fall. Stay tuned for more information for those campaigns, but here are some highlights of what's happening right now. Also, save the date; the next Marketing Meeting will be at 1:00pm on June 20th.
The FREE "Saturday Tuolumne Adventure Trolley" Service Begins
on May 4th.

Your guests can see the sights and leave the getting around to the friendly and knowledgeable drivers of the Tuolumne Adventure Trolley every Saturday May through September.

The ride is FREE and serves Sonora, Columbia State Historic Park and Jamestown.

Service runs from 8:30am to 10:00pm and has has stops at many hotels and attractions on an hour and a half loop. Hop on and hop off as you please.

Download the brochure, map and schedule for the 2019 Tuolumne Adventure Trolley.

Or, watch the video...
There's Still Room to Ride the Tuolumne Adventure Trolley Familiarization Tour
THURSDAY, APRIL 25TH!
Local business owners and staff are invited to come along with the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau and Tuolumne County Transit for a first-hand experience aboard the seasonal Tuolumne Adventure Trolley.

Come along and discover what the upcoming service is all about to better inform your customers and guests. We’ll have a 9 am pick-up and a 1 pm pick-up, at the Tuolumne County Visitors Center in Downtown Sonora, in an effort to try and accommodate various work schedules.

Please let us know if you're coming along by clicking on the time slot below.
DMA West Tech Summit Takeaways

In March, I attended the annual DMA West Tech Summit in Albuquerque. The summit program includes seminars and workshops for destination marketing organizations. Here are three takeaways from this most recent summit.

  1. Check your Google Business listings. Make sure everything is up to date and there aren’t photos that you don’t want there
  2. Claim your business on TripAdvisor. When people are on TripAdvisor, they’re in travel mode, plus they’ve changed the way visitors search on the site from a date range filter to a “Where To” option.
  3. Video continues to be more and more important.
  •  80% of all web traffic will be video by 2020.
  •  66% of people view videos when thinking about taking a trip.
  •  74% of business travelers and 62% of leisure travelers want to see video before making a final travel booking decision.
California Road Trips

For the first time, at least in a while, the TCVB is placing an ad in California Road Trips, a supplement to the Official California Visitors Guide distributed by Visit California. 600,000 copies of the publication will be inserted into the July issue of Travel+Leisure magazine, while 400,000 copies are distributed at California Welcome Centers and through direct fulfillment.
Tuolumne County is Too Cool to Trash
One of the TCVB’s key initiatives for the upcoming years is to promote sustainable and responsible travel and visitation in Tuolumne County, which is becoming increasingly important to to protect the natural and cultural resources that people come here to experience.

As the TCVB embarks on developing the “Tuolumne County is Too Cool To Trash” campaign further, we’ll be reaching out to our members and communities to help. To get started, we’d like to begin a gallery of what local businesses and organizations are doing in their own places of business that are sustainable. The gallery will be housed on the TCVB website so that we can showcase these for our visitors.

We'd like to hear from you. Email your projects, programs or sustainable practices to Marketing Manager, Jen Lopez at jen@gotuolumne.com. If you have pictures, include those too.
Social Media Tip
Mackenzie Rodgers, TCVB Digital Content Coordinator
The “Regrammer” app.
When it comes to reposting great video content on Instagram, using a third-party app can help with the process. “Regrammer” is a user-friendly app that walks you through how to “re-gram” a video by copying the video link and simply saving the video. REMEMBER to always ensure that you have permission to repost someone else’s creation. The TCVB posts videos frequently, and we encourage you to share our videos for ready-made Instagram content.

Media Updates
Katie Kirkland, TCVB Communications & Tourism Manager
PR and Travel Trade

The Gold Rush Rally familiarization tour (FAM) is coming to Tuolumne County May 6-10. The TCVB is excited to welcome twelve international media representatives from ten countries to Tuolumne County. The journalist will be split into three tracks, Culinary and Culture, History and Culture, and Outdoor Adventure to showcasing all the best Tuolumne County has to offer. Please say hello if you see us touring around and make sure to follow along with their adventures on our social media channels.

Get ready for a new press release for May, California’s Travel and Tourism Month. The TCVB will be releasing their latest travel impact numbers for 2018 in an official press release. To view all TCVB press release go to our website and click on, “Press Room” in the upper right corner. Please feel free to share any press releases.

The TCVB is heading to IPW in June, the largest international media and travel trade show on US soil and we want to share our members news. In preparation to meeting with international media and tour operators the TCVB team would like to receive any news of new happenings, updates, and openings. Please send any new news to Communications and Tourism Manager, Katie Kirkland, katie@gotuolumne.com
Meetings

The TCVB created a Meetings Postcard mailer and distributed it to businesses throughout the Silicon Valley. The Meet Me in Tuolumne postcards are designed to invite companies to have their meetings, retreats or incentive travel in Tuolumne County. Postcards are available if any members would like to mail them to their clientele. Stop by the Visitors Center in Sonora to pick them up. 
Community Information
Upcoming Events
Spring is here! Check out our entire events calendar to see what's coming up.
Stay Connected
Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau
800-446-1333

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