"Travel Trends and World Impacts on Travel"
Join Moderators Dave Bratton & David Reichnach as they share some recent questions answered from The State of the American Traveler Report. They will cover all the latest findings on American travel trends, as well as take a deeper dive into how the current state of the world is impacting travel, by hearing directly from travelers themselves.
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Sandy Ward Attends U.S. Travel's International Show
U.S. Travel Association’s IPW is the leading international inbound travel trade show, with past IPWs driving $5.5 billion in future travel to the United States, and securing America’s position as a foremost global travel destination. Over 4,500 delegates from around the world attended the June 4-8, 2022 event in Orlando, Florida including Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism's President & CEO, Sandy Ward.
Pictured Above: The State of Washington delegates from Bellingham, Olympia, Spokane, Skagit Valley, and Olympic Peninsula along with State of Washington Tourism staff took over 80 appointments with international tour operators. Also in attendance were the Port of Seattle, Visit Seattle, and the Tulalip Resort and Casino.
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Local Updates and Opportunities
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The Washington State Legislature has allocated a new round of grant funding for small businesses affected by the pandemic. $70 million was appropriated by the legislature for the next round of Working Washington Grants: Round 5, with $45 million of the appropriation directed to eligible businesses and nonprofit organizations in the arts, heritage, and science sectors, including those that operate live entertainment venues. $25 million will be directed at most other sectors, including hospitality, fitness and personal services. Find out more here.
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Do you enjoy talking to people about the best places to hike in Bellingham or the must try local restaurants? Join a team of happy people who also love sharing their passion for Bellingham and Whatcom County with tourists and locals alike!
We are looking for a “Tourism Specialist” to help assist people at the Bellingham Farmers Market on Saturdays through Labor Day.
The position will involve moving and setting up our information booth that is a mobile trike. There could be future opportunities to take the trike to Bellingham events, like Downtown Sounds.
Applicants must be familiar with Whatcom County attractions (or have an eagerness to learn), be able to investigate and provide clear directions, and handle multiple tasks at one time. Strong communication and customer service skills are essential, as well as having a positive and friendly attitude.
Anyone looking to get more involved in the community and have fun all while on the job, couldn’t ask for anything better than working in local tourism!
To apply: please send a resume and cover letter to info@bellingham.org or go here for more info.
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We need volunteers for a fun opportunity at our Visitor Information Centers! Share your passion for where you live through helping tourists, locals, and the community members of Whatcom County.
At Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, our mission is to improve the local economy by attracting visitors to stay longer. We are looking for ”Tourism Specialists” to help assist people at several visitor centers in Bellingham.
Benefits to joining our team: trips to learn about area attractions, hotels, and outdoor adventures. We also have volunteer appreciation parties and provide snacks during shifts. Anyone who has felt more isolated the last couple years and has been looking for a way to get more involved in the community, couldn’t ask for a better opportunity than working in local tourism!
Tourists need you! Please volunteer and share your knowledge with those who are looking to explore all that Whatcom County has to offer.
Go here for more info.
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Thank you to everyone who attended the Visit Bellingham | Whatcom County Social Media-Friendly Hour at Aslan Depot with Lorin Lindell! We had a great time, and are already working with Twin Sisters Brewing to do it again in August!
Make sure to download a copy of the social handles and hashtags you and other local businesses provided to help keep Bellingham and Whatcom County connected. The sheet includes social media handles, hashtags, and upcoming events and activities to keep an eye out for.
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Just In Case You Missed it!
We learned how Google Maps needs each of us to show up in order to make a massive impact, and how you can optimize your Google Business presence to route visitors right to you.
Alex Bruner, Founder of Intellitonic left us with some key steps to follow and world-class training for free! Here's a note from him, and the video and other resources are below:
At Intellitonic we are heavily invested in helping local orgs get their fair visibility in search engines, so this is a bit of a passion project for me. If anyone has further questions about Local SEO or Google Ads, feel free to reach out to me directly: alex@intellitonic.com.
I urge 501(c)(3)'s to look up Google Ad Grants, that $10,000 a month goes a long way in increasing your ability to promote your programs and events as well as solicit donations. Im working on some presentations to that product that I think will greatly benefit the local community, more from that in the future.
Finally, if you learn something from the presentation, please feel free to drop a review here: Intellitonic.com/review.
Best,
Alex
Find a copy of the recorded meeting here (available for a year):
How Google Maps And Local SEO Affect Tourism Meeting Recording
Visit Bellingham | Whatcom County Tourism Education Series; May 12, 2022
Find helpful tips here.
Find the presentation slides here.
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Hold Whatcom County in the palm of your hand! Our convenient, new pocket-sized Go! Guide provides an overview of the area and is the perfect tool to help visitors plan their adventure.
Unfold the guide to find an illustrated overview map of Whatcom County with a bird's eye view showcasing popular scenic hotspots, highways, and travel hubs. More detailed street views for some Whatcom County neighborhoods are also included, and highlight areas to shop, dine, and explore.
Looking for additional information? Scan one of the many featured QR Codes (or go to the listed URL) and you will be taken to curated pages about lodging, trails, communities, restaurants, current events, and much more.
This guide can go wheverever our visitors need (and will ride easily in their pockets and purses). Please reach out if we can get you on the list of places these are distributed. We're still in the midst of getting them out there!
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Updates from Washington Hospitality Association
The American Hotel & Lodging Association 2022 State of The Hotel Industry Report in Collaboration With Accenture: AHLA SOTI Report 2022 1.24.22.pdf
A successful legislative session ended with great news for hospitality businesses in Washington state, and the lodging industry has a lot to look forward to in 2022. Take a look at some of the most important wins from the short 60-day session for lodging operators. Meanwhile, previous efforts to establish funding for tourism promotion are bearing fruit in 2022. Find out more: 2022 Legislative session: Lodging wins | Washington Hospitality Association | We Deliver Wins for the Hospitality Industry. (wahospitality.org)
BREAKING NEWS: Enforcement of food code updates will be delayed until Sept. 1 Learn more here: Quick Bites | We provide training, cost-savings programs, advocacy, news and resources for the state's hospitality industry. (wahospitality.org)
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The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is seeking your help in taking a short six-question survey related to the future of Amtrak Cascades train service that runs from Vancouver, B.C., to Seattle, Portland, and Eugene, Oregon. The service currently has 18 stops throughout western Oregon, Washington and British Columbia and the study is evaluating possible service improvements over the next 20 years.
They want to find out how business travel has evolved from pre-pandemic times, hear what the future of business travel looks like and understand how Amtrak Cascades service could better support area companies. Here is the 2-minute Amtrak Cascades preliminary business survey.
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Businesses within the City of Bellingham are eligible for free water saving fixtures, as well as rebates for larger water efficiency upgrades. The first step is to sign up for a free water audit with the Community Energy Challenge, and their expert staff will do a quick walk-through at your business to identify all water saving opportunities. Thanks to funding from City of Bellingham, they can provide fixtures such as faucet aerators, showerheads, and dishwashing sprayers for free, and they can help you get preapproved for rebates for everything from efficient toilets, to ice machines, to clothes washers.
For more information or to sign up, contact energy@sustainableconnections.org or 360-647-7093, and you can read more about the offerings here.
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The Whatcom County Executive’s Office has announced that it is accepting requests for the use of Economic Development Investment (EDI) funds for costs related to public infrastructure improvements associated with construction of affordable workforce homes. Both owner-occupied and renter-occupied homes of either single-family detached or attached housing types are eligible.
“The housing affordability crisis is affecting so many residents of our county, particularly our young and growing families. It’s also an obstacle to economic growth and attracting new businesses,” said County Executive Satpal Sidhu. “This new program expands our toolkit for addressing housing issues, providing a mechanism to incentivize the construction of homes that will be affordable over the long term.”
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Employee Retention Tax Credit or ERTC
Almost every hospitality business in Washington is eligible for the Employee Retention Tax Credit because the requirements are linked to COVID-19 government orders. It’s the single best relief opportunity available and it's surprising how many eligible businesses are letting it pass by. If you’re unsure about the ERTC, you can talk with Adesso. They are experts in this arena. They can tell you if you’re eligible and get the process started before Tax Day. On average members receive $26,000 per employee. Get started through ERTC Support Center here.
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Current Campaigns and Outreach
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Share Our Campaigns, Support Our Local Economy!
Share the campaigns below with your own audiences.
Use our wording and images below, or make up your own, to use our campaigns and assets to extend outreach about our region while growing your own content sharing. You'll find our user generated assets (photo contest), our newest loyalty incentive pass, a Rick Steves video, and more!
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The full lineup for Downtown Sounds 2022 has officially been announced and we can’t wait to celebrate 18 years of dancing in downtown Bellingham!
- July 6: Nite Wave + döp
- July 13: The Cumbieros + Bilongo Quintet
- July 20: Outer Orbit + Yogoman Burning Band (Dub Version)
- July 27: LowDown Brass Band + Mostafa Live Band
- August 3: Miles Harris & the Deep Cuts + The Diego Romero Band
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Travel to the extreme NW peak of the US Pacific Northwest when you visit gorgeous port communities on the 49th parallel!
Explore Point Roberts, Washington – an exclave of the US that juts off Canada into the Boundary Bay, or visit Blaine by the Sea at the tip-top of Interstate 5. From a park that crosses an international border to a high-end resort on the site of a historic cannery, you’ll be enchanted. Check-in to complete your quest, get insider discounts, and enjoy local seafood, sunsets, and smiles along the way.
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Rick Steves learns about the exclave community of Point Roberts, enjoys the borderless zone at what is both a Provincial and State Park on the Canadian border, and soaks up seaside living in the uppermost Pacific Northwest
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Jessica Dotson & Yellow Aster Butte
Michelle Watkins & Whatcom Fall's Totem Pole
Maya Heinselman & Clayton Beach
