How do you feel about tourism in Chelan County?

WENATCHEE – How happy are you, as a local resident, with tourism in Chelan County? Do you see where improvements can be made? Do you have concerns about the industry’s impact on our local way of life? What are we missing, here in Chelan County?

Visit Chelan County, a newly formed destination marketing and stewardship organization, seeks answers to these questions and more as the organization develops a long-term Destination Stewardship Plan for tourism in the region. 

Visit Chelan County is asking area residents to complete an online survey that was posted earlier this week. The survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ChelanCountyCommunitySurvey and takes about 15 minutes to complete. It is open through Oct. 8, and is also available at www.visitchelancounty.com.

“In developing the Destination Stewardship Plan, our goal is to gather and listen to all voices so we can create a shared vision for not only making Chelan County an even better place to live and work but also keeping it an appealing place to visit,” said Jerri Barkley, executive director of Visit Chelan County. “Your participation will help guide our needs for stewardship and sustainability, ensuring that we protect and support our natural assets and the environment that makes our county so special.”

A 10-year roadmap for tourism development, the Destination Stewardship Plan aims to provide a framework for responsible tourism development and promotion in Chelan County; its goal is to enhance the quality of life for residents as well as visitor experiences across the county.

The community survey includes questions about not only where participants live and how they feel about tourism, but also how it impacts them personally, what changes or improvements they would like to see and how they envision tourism in the area in the next five to 10 years.

A second survey, targeted at stakeholders, also is being distributed directly to a mix of tourism industry leaders, community leaders, government officials and customers. Information gathered by both efforts will be shared with the Chelan County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, which coordinates the Visit Chelan County campaign, to use when prioritizing local tourism investments in the near future and beyond, Barkley added.

Barkley encourages the public to complete the online survey and have a voice in the future of tourism in Chelan County. 

“When we talk about responsible tourism promotion, we aren’t focused only on the visitor’s experience,” she said. “The concerns and priorities of our local residents also will play heavily in the plan’s development.”

 Visit Chelan County is the newly formed destination marketing and stewardship organization that is responsible for the promotion and management of tourism in the unincorporated communities in Chelan County. For more information, visit www.visitchelancounty.com.