— from Amy Nesler for San Juans Visitors Bureau —
Summer is here, and that normally means an increase in visitors to our Islands. While 2020 is redefining what ‘normal’ is, there are steps the tourism industry is taking to safely welcome visitors back to the Islands. One of our most important goals is to educate our visitors and ask them to share the responsibility of keeping our community safe by following our County Health Officer’s guidelines as we move into a modified Phase 3 of the Governor’s Safe Start reopening plan. This partnership is key to moving forward carefully and cohesively.
The Visitors Bureau, in collaboration with the three Island Chambers of Commerce, has created a “pledge” from our tourism industry to our visitors, and for our visitors to our businesses and islanders. This pledge lists aspects such as wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing, and following local Health Officer guidelines, to keep each other safe.
This poster is available to download for all island businesses and non-profits, or you can drop by the Visitors Bureau or Chamber offices to pick up a few. The goal is to make everyone aware of strict health and safety guidelines so we move forward together.
Businesses: You can download the Stay Safe 8.5×11 poster here and print it out to post in your place of business or office. Please also consider posting it on your website and including it with reservation confirmations.
We’ve also created a Guidelines for Enjoying Your Visit Checklist to download for all visitors to Plan, Pack and Prepare, with emphasis on safety.
You can also download either Stay Safe poster or Guidelines from our website: www.visitsanjuans.com/stay-safe, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the links.
Please consider sharing these resources with visiting friends, relatives or guests before they arrive, to help us partner with visitors to safely and sustainably reopen to protect the place we all love.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
I don’t know which is more offensive, that the bureau of Island exploitation pretends this is a meaningful measure, with our community’s safety in mind, or that actual resources were wasted in it’s development. SMH, unbelievable.
In Eastsound this afternoon there were a considerable number of individuals and families without masks. It’s my understanding that’s now a misdemeanor. Perhaps the Visitors Bureau could raise funds to train and hire part time staff to encourage/ensure that those in public adhere to the state’s pandemic (proven) safety requirements.
After all, it’s human life that’s at stake.
Too little, too soon.
Amy,
As a member of our community that supports moving to Phase 3, I must say that one of the things that gives me pause is the amount of energy being put out by the Visitors Bureau to promote the islands at this time. It seems incredibly ill-timed and unnecessary.
I hope the the Visitors Bureau and like-agencies take a moment and consider putting a hold on ALL advertising for 2020. The visitors will come regardless, and we should be redirecting advertising monies to businesses for the supplies and equipment they need to keep their staff and our community as safe as possible.
Very well said Justin
It’s interesting and perhaps appropriate that I get an error message when hitting the above link about moving to a modified phase 3. Given the recent upsurge in coronavirus cases throughout the west, it would be foolhardy to move ahead with reopening the San Juan Islands to tourists from these states.
Time to hit the Pause button, Rick, Jamie, and Bill.
Agreed Justin.
I would contact the Vistors Bureau ED directly. Ask if they have plans to radically change the advertising campaign. If they don’t have any plans, ask why there will be no change. She can be reached at: deborah@visitsanjuans.com
Absolutely agree with what every commenter above has said.
They are going to come anyway: Stop promoting the idea that we need more of them! With pandemic cases on the rise across the West, this is bizarre, short-sighted and quasi-sociopathic. There is minimal enforcement of safe behavior. Who thinks that a poster is going to be read & followed? County officials, please stop paying more attention to the Visitors Bureau than to our safety!
What Michael said: Time to hit the Pause button.
Janet-
Thanks for that contact. The following email was sent from myself and I encourage others to do so as well:
I am writing in response to the recent press release that was put out in Orcas Issues regarding work being done by the Visitors Bureau. I am also writing in response to the seemingly vast amount of radio and media ads that are currently advertising San Juan County as a viable tourism destination.
I am a small-business operator in San Juan County, a member of the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce and a supporter of the tourism industry as a driver and support for our local economy. Further, I support the movement of our county to Phase 3 of the Governors phased response plan.
While I believe that tourism and the hospitality industry is important for our county moving forward, I am disturbed that energy and money is being put into promoting tourism at this time. I realize that the mission of your agency is to promote and support this industry, but the encouragement of tourists to the islands at this point is neither in line with the health directives of our county nor in my mind necessary to bring tourism dollars to our community currently. As we move forward slowly, it seems that it would be more effective to wait on promotion of tourism until Covid19 metrics have stabilized and for a time when tourism could be better aimed at normally slow periods (winter). Perhaps consider routing immediate spending to help businesses with PPE and supplies needed to weather the needs of the existing guests and those already headed to the islands.
I hope that the Visitors Bureau and it’s associated agencies in our community will consider these issues and perhaps consider immediately pulling existing advertising until a more appropriate time.
The fact that you put the word “pledge” in quotes cheapens the word and makes it meaningless.
Your sign says that businesses take this pledge and visitors take this pledge. Don’t you see, that is the problem with all of this: THERE IS NO PLEDGE!
The SJVB has created signs, documents, and ideas all from the safety of safe spaces or work-at-home offices. Meanwhile, you put low wage workers on the front line to service the tourists with zero enforcement of safety requirements.
Business owners are either busting their butts to adhere to the strictest of safety standards OR they’re doing nothing at all (And I’ve seen too many examples of the latter). There seems to be no consequence either way.
Meanwhile, we”re taking local resident dollars out of the system for the sake of tourism. I am not anti-tourism, but there has been no attempt here of a nuanced reintroduction to a nuanced problem. There are communities and cities all over the country currently reeling from the consequences of moving too soon back to normal. All the progress they’ve made in controlling the spread for naught and now We are one of the only countries in the world that are experiencing an upsurge of COVID-19. Our community is not immune from such a similar consequence. If that should happen, the SJVB won’t be the group responsible to the situation, but you should be held accountable.
Several states that opened early are shutting down due to a sharp increase in Covid cases. Do we have to wait for that to inevitably
happen here? I see visitors flagrantly violating masks and distancing requirements,
Encouraging tourism during a deadly pandemic is foolhardy. Rick, Jamie, Bill please withdraw the request to move to Phase 3 while stopping the misspending of tax payer dollars. The lives of the vulnerable are at stake!
I am among those who questioned the County Council and Dr. James’s decision to seek state approval to move to Phase 3 the same week that San Juan County had three new positive Covid-19 tests after two months with none. Now, with the coronavirus surging nationally – and growing again throughout Puget Sound, where many or most of our visitors live – this seems more ill advised than ever. And, as others have said, it is hard to avoid seeing visitors who are not wearing masks or social distancing, and it is naive to think SJVB posters are going to change this behavior.
Obviously, I am disappointed that our local government is moving so quickly to take action that cannot help but undo our collective success at minimizing Covid-19 in San Juan County until now. Whether you agree on this or not, we should all remember that the August 4 primary election will narrow from three to two the candidates running for our San Juan County Council seat. Your vote is the best way to express your agreement or disagreement with the present Council’s direction on this most important issue. Similarly, I strongly encourage each of the three candidates to describe their position on the current plans to move to Phases 3 and 4 as well as when and to what degree to allow transient accommodations to be occupied. Their published statements on the County voter guide do not shed much light on where each stands on this most pressing issue.
Describing the SJVB as “borderline sociopathic” is completely inappropriate. There’s no need to insult those who hold opinions with which you disagree, it just causes persons who hold different opinions to stop listening to yours.
The SJVB is not a person, and it doesn’t just hold an opinion. Let’s call it what it is. It’s a well-financed entity performing under the guise of a non-profit promoting an industrial behemoth in spite of the perils that it brings to local communities… for profit.
Tourism Kills
San Juan Visitor’s Bureau
I, for one, do not support widely opening up to tourists in the absence of any meaningful data to suggest the future behavior of this virus. I realize that legitimate business concerns drive the move to open up. Remember, however, the unique preponderance of seniors in our community and their safety should be paramount.