Visit Tuolumne County’s Annual Tourism Summit Brings Crowd
Tina Valdecanas, principal of Clarity of Place, presents an update on the Tourism Marketing District during the Visit Tuolumne County’s Tourism Summit on Oct. 17, 2024. (Photo by Visit Tuolumne County.)
Jamestown, CA — Visit Tuolumne County’s annual Tourism Summit at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort last week drew over 70 local tourism community stakeholders, including representatives from Visit Oakdale, El Dorado Tourism Authority, Visit Sacramento, Visit Rancho Cordova, and Explore Elk Grove. All were welcomed by Lloyd Mathiesen, tribal chairman of the Chicken Ranch Rancheria Me-Wuk Indians of California Tribal Council.
“The Summit is an important opportunity for our industry to come together and recognize what we have accomplished in the past year as we prepare for the challenges of the year ahead,” said President and CEO Lisa Mayo. “It was great to have so many people who are integral to the success of Tuolumne County’s tourism industry come together.”
There was an update by Tina Valdecanas, principal of Clarity of Place, a market research consultancy company, on the Tourism Marketing District. She addressed how it will create a sustainable funding source to promote the county and support local businesses year-round. Amy Chambers, Visit California’s Director of Engagement, also provided insights into the state’s tourism industry performance and upcoming marketing initiatives.
Visit Tuolumne County’s Annual Report presented by Mayo highlighted the recovery of travel spending in 2022, with an all-time high of $285.5 million, well above the 2019 pre-pandemic number of $273 million. The keynote address, given by David Holder, co-founder of Clarity of Place, engaged attendees with his keynote, “Tourism Dependency, Competing for Revenue Growth.”
The summit urged attendees to support tourism marketing funding that is crucial for gaining market share for Tuolumne County’s top economic driver. The summit also acknowledged two past Visit Tuolumne County Board Chairs, Katie Dunn from 2020-2024 and Clarke Broadcastings KVML Radio Program Director Mark Truppner from 2016-2020.
