The Invisible Visitor: “The Travel Effect” in the Islands

National Travel & Tourism Week, May 3 – 11

— from Barbara Marrett,  San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau —

Look around you. What would the Islands be without your favorite restaurant – the one you enjoy on special occasions?  Without performing arts centers, museums and gorgeous galleries? Without the lookout at Moran State Park or iconic lighthouse at Lime Kiln Point State Park? Imagine the bluffs at American Camp and Spencer Spit lined with houses and the beaches off-limits, instead of open for all to enjoy.  Many of the places islanders have come to cherish are present due to their appeal to visitors and are also strongly supported by “invisible” visitor dollars, money which is infused into the economy with little acknowledgement.

National Travel & Tourism Week, May 3 – 11, champions the power of travel to not only benefit the traveler but also enhance the locations visited. The theme for 2014 is “The Travel Effect” which results in the health benefits of relaxation, memory-making, education, and adventure for the traveler. Simultaneously it helps create jobs, relieve the local tax burden by contributing funds towards town and county projects, and enriches the culture and vibrancy of visitor destinations like the San Juan Islands.

Visitors were responsible for an annual addition of 171 million dollars into the local economy in 2013* and travel spending increased a significant 8.2% from 2012-2013* in San Juan County, according to “Washington State Travel Impacts & Visitor Volume” report by Dean Runyan Associates.

The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau is the county’s official destination marketing organization representing over 375 island businesses and supporting the promotion of local history, arts, agriculture, outdoor recreation and visitor education. Mostly funded by lodging tax paid by the visitor, it also receives nominal business membership dues. The Bureau’s job is to entice visitors through advertising campaigns; maintaining a robust website and social media programs; actively soliciting travel stories and media coverage. Successful Visitors Bureau marketing efforts were rewarded by two consecutive gold prizes in the North American Travel Journalists Association competition, one for our marketing of Savor the San Juans in October 2012, and the second for History Lives Here in May of 2013. These umbrella promotions extend the Islands’ allure to visitors in the quiet season.

May is also National Historic Preservation Month, which is celebrated locally as “History Lives Here: Heritage Month in the San Juan Islands.” It’s the perfect time to engage in another island’s history event or museum. Why not indulge in a staycation — spend the night and have a great meal close to home? May history events and specials at historic lodgings and restaurants throughout the islands are listed at www.visitsanjuans.com/events/history.

Visitors do create impacts which can be challenging at times. The next time you think to yourself, I wish some visitors were invisible!, remember how they enhance island life year-round for locals and how much you enjoy yourself on your own vacation.

*projected