12/22/2006: "What Do SJC & Ho Chi Minh City Have In Common?"

They both have a bunch of veterans that have a war in common, and they are both going to get a lot of visitors in 2007, thanks in part to Orbitz, one of the top online travel booking sites on the web, which has named the San Juan Islands (and Ho Chi Minh City) as one of the "Seven Hotspots for 2007" -the other five are the city of New Orleans, Jamestown, Alaska Cruises, Valencia, and Krakow.

This is really good news, or really bad news, depending on why you moved here, and what you wish to do while you're here, but for sure things are clearly going to get better, or worse. How did this happen? The short answer is "Money".

The somewhat longer answer is the listing of San Juan county as a "hotspot" is the result of aggressive advertising by the Visitors Bureau (San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau), a non-profit economic development agency that works to promote the San Juans as a vacation destination.

The Visitors Bureau's financial support is a tax that is collected from hotels and motels. The tax may be used by local governments for a number of things, including the arts and -mainly- the promotion of tourism. The concept at work is the more tourists there are, the more money there is to attract more tourists, which it turn…well, you get the idea. It is a model that has been highly successful, and the local Visitors Bureau has an annual budget in excess of $300.000.00 that is used to sell the San Juans as a place to come to.

We asked public relations manager Robin Jacobson how instrumental was the Visitors Bureau in getting the county listed on the Orbitz list, and he replied "very", and went on to explain that "It's my job, for instance, to get and keep the San Juan Islands in the radar of quality magazines and newspapers, television producers, A-list journalists, etc. Outfits like Orbitz monitor the destination buzz and watch for new and louder buzz coming from these people and their publications".

The Visitors Bureau does not automatically get the money. How the collected tax money is spent is up to the County and the Town of Friday Harbor, and there has been some indication the County may wish in the future to spread more of the money around to other groups. This has caused some consternation within the Visitors Bureau, and they have been working hard to stress the overall benefits to the community at large by allowing them to receive most of the money. They point out visitor spending in the San Juan Islands directly benefits county parks, historical museums, community theaters, and local businesses".

One of the concerns that has been given voice by some members of the County Council is that not enough money has been spent on mitigating negative impacts of tourism on county services and infrastructure. The thought is more of the costs to government should be paid for by the money used to attract people in the first place, and less to keep attracting more people here, and less should be paid by the tax payers who live here.

Problem with that idea is, how to determine what the impacts are from visitors, and how much does it cost to mitigate them. There is also the little problem of will the law allow governments to start using some of the money for things other than what has been specifically spelled out in the law?

In the mean time, for better or worse, the county can expect more visitors in our county.

Click below to read what Orbitz has to say about us. (and read a letter to the Editor from the Visitors Bureau):

CHICAGO - December 18, 2006 - Want to vacation at one of the "in" places before the rest of America catches onto the tourism trend? Backed by a team of travel professionals, The Orbitz Insider knows which 2007's travel hotspots will be the "in" locations for experience seeking vacationers.

Whether that's being amongst celebrities, watching some of the world's best sporting events, or finding the off-the-chart waterways to kayak, the Orbitz Insider will ring in the New Year with new places to visit before the rest of the world catches on.

San Juan Islands, Washington

From cruising in Alaska to kayaking north of Seattle, 2007 is all about the upper Northwest! Since 2005, 12.6 million people have started kayaking according to the Outdoor Industry Association. This growth has spurred great interest in travel to places like the San Juan Islands, a known sea kayaking hotspot. Located about an hour and a half north of Seattle, kayakers from novice to expert can explore the San Juan Islands' beautiful landscape and wildlife, which includes Orca whales, seals and a variety of birds. For adventurers that just can't get enough of the water, the San Juan Islands also boast outstanding scuba diving as well as fishing and sailing. As a great day trip destination from Seattle, ferry lines can be long, therefore it is recommended that visitors purchase ferry tickets in advance so they do not have to wait in passenger toll lines.

(Responding Letter to Editor on the story)