Tourism in Redding, CA

Tourism in Redding California Posted May 09, 2009 at 00:13 AM ronlargent This article appeared in the Record Searchlight today and tells a lot about our Tourism Industry. Tourism business navigating choppy waters By David Benda (Contact) Thursday, May 7, 2009 With the worst recession in memory as a backdrop, the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association gets to the point with the title of its annual Tourism Summit: "Think You Are on the Titanic? Well - You Are Not Alone, We Are All in the Same Boat!" Tuesday's event at Win-River Casino in Redding is billed as a way to get tips on navigating difficult waters. "People want to travel, but they are not going to go off to Tahiti or some other fancy island. They will stay closer to home, so how can we grab those folks?" said Karen Whitaker, director of tourism for the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association. Coinciding with National Tourism Week, Tuesday's summit is for tourism-based businesses, business chambers, nonprofit organizations like museums, and city and county government officials. The keynote speaker will be Berkeley Young, president of travel consulting firm Young Strategies Inc. Young will talk about travel trends and how the industry is changing. One thing is certain: businesses and communities dependant upon tourism can no longer rely on traditional marketing strategies, Whitaker said. As an example, the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association started using Twitter, an online service that allows the organization to post quick takes about events in the north state. The association's visitors center can be found in the Shasta Outlets in Anderson, but the group promotes an eight-county area, including Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity. Initially, Whitaker's group posted on Twitter about once a week. These days, it's common for the Shasta County Wonderland Association to "tweet" two to three times a day. "We have over 100 followers. ... We'll talk a little bit about the weather, and talk about upcoming events - like right now it's rafting season," Whitaker said. "One person came to see us because of what they saw on our Twitter account." A busy summer can pay huge dividends to the Shasta Cascade region. The California Travel and Tourism Commission estimates that tourism generates $1.15 billion annually to the eight-county Shasta Cascade region, Whitaker said. The industry creates about 17,000 jobs each year, and generates a combined $17.8 million in tax receipts for local communities in the region. Arguably the biggest tourism-based economic driver in the Shasta Cascade region is Lake Shasta. The U.S. Forest Service estimates about 3 million people visit the man-made reservoir each summer. With spring rains bringing the lake level up - on Thursday, it was 53 feet below the rim, about 9 feet higher than a year ago - marina operators are hopeful. The lake is roughly 30 feet higher than it was in mid-March. Gasoline prices are another reason lake businesses are upbeat. A gallon of gas on the lake this week hovered around $3.50, about $2 cheaper than its peak last summer, and unchanged from March. For lake visitors, that means it would take $700 to fill up a 200-gallon houseboat at $3.50 a gallon, compared to $1,100 at $5.50 a gallon. "The phone is starting to ring more with the warm weather and higher water level, so we are optimistic," Dede Miller, office manager at Shasta Marina Resort, said Thursday. As an incentive to boost business, Shasta Marina is offering a $400 gas credit to houseboaters. What's more, Shasta Marina started a Facebook page in November to keep customers and others updated. The page has about 500 friends, Miller said. "It's been really great," she said. "We have a lot of repeat customers who are getting very excited about the lake level coming up." Meanwhile, summer (June to September) hotel revenue in Redding increased 1 percent last summer over 2007, going from $15.97 million to $16.13 million. Last summer's wildfires helped fill hotel rooms in Redding, but it didn't generate a surplus of income. "We take a hit because federal firefighters don't pay transient occupancy tax (TOT)," said Bob Warren, Redding's chief tourism officer. "So when they take a room, we don't have the opportunity to rent to a tourist." The city's TOT is 10 percent, which is tacked on to a customer's bill. Given the economy, Warren would be pleased if hotels this summer break even with 2007. "If we can get somewhere like last year, we will get some success," Warren said. Reporter David Benda can be reached at 225-8219 or at dbenda@redding.com. Real Estate in Redding, Ca www.ronlargent.com ronlargent@kw.com