A novel idea -- "Twilight" -- helps boost Peninsula tourism revenue
By Tom Callis, Peninsula Daily News
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Port Angeles made the most money from lodging tax revenues — $337,598, 2.7 percent over the $328,454 collected during the same period last year — while Port Townsend, afflicted with a cut in ferry runs, was pleased to see only a small drop in revenues — a 0.2 percent decrease to $229,258 from $229,655, said Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rod Davies.
At the same time, Sequim saw a percentage increase in lodging tax revenues second only to Forks, collecting $115,962, a 15.7 percent increase over last year’s figure of $100,163 during the same time period, an indication of interest in the town as a retirement community, said Vickie Maples, Sequim Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce executive director.
Maples pointed out that Sequim was declared by Money Magazine in September as one of the top six places to retire.
“The word is getting out that Sequim is a place to travel to and relocate,” she said.
Other totals through September, compared with those from January through September 2007 are:
■ Jefferson County has received $209,425, which is a 8.9 percent increase over last year’s figure of $192,297.
■ Clallam County has received $191,245, which is a 5.8 percent increase over last year’s figure of $180,629 during the same time period.
But though the amount of lodging tax revenue collected in Forks was the smallest of any entity on the Peninsula — $85,159, a 48 percent increase over last year’s figure of $57,467 during the same time period — the shrieks of delight were the loudest.
“We had a wonderful summer thanks to the books by Stephanie Meyer,” said Marcia Bingham, Forks Chamber of Commerce executive director.
“We have blown up with Twilight visitors. It has been a wonderful year for us.”
Fans of Meyer’s bestselling vampire novels — Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn — have flocked to the setting of their favorite characters, Isabella Swan, a mortal teenager who falls in love with vampire Edward Cullen, as well as Jacob Black, a Quileute werewolf.
'Twilight' series
Bingham said that has not only produced a boost of tourists during the summer peak-season, but also during the times of the year with less desirable weather.
“People come for the books, and if it’s raining, they are happy,” she said.
“We all know vampires can’t be out if it’s bright.”
High gasoline prices are to be thanked for boosts in tourism elsewhere, said Mary Brelsford, communications manager for the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau based in Port Angeles.
For the first time, the visitor bureau ran out of its trip planners for tourists before the end of the year — and that happened in September, Brelsford said.
The visitor bureau printed 80,000 trip planners this year, and will print 110,000 next year due to the increase in demand.
“People are interested in doing close vacations with the gas situation,” Brelsford said.
“They are keeping closer to home.”
The planners provide information on local events and lodging, and are available at visitor centers in Clallam and Jefferson counties and Victoria.
Many of the planners are mailed to people who are interested in visiting the Peninsula.
Brelsford said she also would attribute the increase in demand for the planners to an “aggressive marketing campaign” on the part of the visitor bureau.
That would include the use of billboard and radio advertising as well as a postcard mailing campaign from Seattle to Portland, Ore., she said.
But overall, Breslford believes simply that more people are discovering the Peninsula.
And if there are more tourists, there is more lodging-tax revenue.
Port Townsend
Rod Davies, the new Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce executive director, said Port Townsend would have seen a more significant drop in lodging-tax revenue this year if it wasn’t for more people wanting to take vacations closer to home.
“We are seeing more ‘stay-cations,’” he said.
“It’s an indicator that things are holding their own.”
But, during the six-week closure of the Hood Canal bridge set for May 2009, the same cannot be expected for next year, Davies said.
In order to mitigate the bridge closure, Davies said the Port Townsend chamber is setting up a trip planner on its Web site that it hopes to have up by January.
The trip planner, he said, will assist travelers in finding alternate routes to Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula.
A tourism summit, held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at the Jamestown S’Klallam tribal center, 1033 Old Blyn Highway in Blyn, will also address the Hood Canal Bridge closure.
The summit will be attended by mostly those in the lodging industry on the Peninsula, Brelsford said.
Becky Hixton of the state Department of Transportation will address the closure and how it will affect tourism.
“The closure is going to be huge,” Brelsford said.
“It’s going to create a trip around the canal rather than just popping over.”
The conference will also address marketing and “geo-tourism,” which Brelsford said is a perfect fit for the Peninsula.
Geo-tourism, she said, enhances or sustains the environmental and cultural character of a location.
“It should be a huge thing here,” she said. “We’ve got an incredible heritage.”
Russ Veenema, Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce executive director, said he is surprised to see lodging-tax revenue increase while gas prices remain high.
“At the beginning of the year, we didn’t know if the Peninsula would be a long drive,” he said.
“It seems people are staying closer to home.
“The Peninsula is still a viable location.”
The Interstate 5 corridor, he said, remains the city’s primary tourism market.
And if more people are seeking vacations closer to home, that would explain why more people have visited Port Angeles this year, Veenema said.
Though figures show visits to visitor centers around the North Olympic Peninsula are down when compared to last year, Veenema said that can be attributed to more tourists being able to get the information they need online.
Forks brought in $33,631.42 in lodging-tax revenue in September, which doubled the figure for September 2007.
Bingham said that increase can be attributed to Stephenie Meyer Day on Sept. 13, which is held in honor of the Twilight series author.
But overall, Twilight tourism has continued to climb this year, she said.
Bingham said that she expects the release of the movie “Twilight” on Nov. 21 will drive additional tourism through next year.
Brelsford said about one in five calls to the visitor bureau is Twilight-related.
She said Twilight tourism is good for the rest of the Peninsula because the visitors will visit other parts of the area while they are here.
“There is a trickle down this way,” she said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or tom.callis@
peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: October 12. 2008 2:47PM