By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Although Sitka may be facing another summer without large cruise ships, Visit Sitka is hoping its marketing efforts for independent travelers and conventions will pay off in the coming year.
At an Assembly work session before the regular meeting Tuesday, Visit Sitka, which is part of the Chamber of Commerce, outlined its strategies for bringing in visitors of all types.
The organization has a three-year contract with the city, and receives $300,000 a year under that contract. The Assembly can award additional funds based on Visit Sitka’s marketing plan.
This year, $158,600 is being requested for fiscal year 2022, on top of the $300,000 under the contract. The mission of Visit Sitka is to market Sitka as a destination for independent travelers, cruise ship visitors and conventions; and provide information and services to visitors.
Rachel Roy, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce and Visit Sitka, said the request is 22 percent lower than FY21, since Sitka saw a steep downturn in bed tax receipts last year. The state imposed travel mandates that limited the independent traveler and charter fishing industry, and resulted in lower bed taxes.
On the introductory page of the Annual Marketing Plan requesting funding at a total of $458,600, Visit Sitka said the organization also needs to put plans in the works for preparing for the 87 percent increase in cruise traffic next year.
The calender currently shows the possibility of 400,000 cruise visitors, and more frequent visits of larger ships.
“Our businesses are going to need help with the exponential growth that is happening,” including visitor services and information, said Laurie Booyse, director of Visit Sitka.
Visit Sitka in the work session also presented promotional videos for different visitor interests: conventions and meetings; attractions and shopping, culture and history; outdoor adventure and fishing; and Sitka’s food scene.
A special meeting is scheduled for April 1, for the Assembly to consider allocating funds for the organization.
Also at the work session Tuesday, Visit Sitka representatives highlighted some of the marketing strategies including advertising, a visitors guide, and trade shows, and a new “welcome packet” for the growing yacht visitors market.
Roy also discussed Visit Sitka’s participation in a media road show, where representatives from TV stations, magazines and newspapers “speed date” with visitor destinations. The Sitka representative gets 12 minutes to make a pitch for why the media organization should Visit Sitka for travel pieces.
“It’s intense,” Roy said.
Booyse said Visit Sitka plans to increase its print advertising. One of the trends during the pandemic has been increased sales of magazines and newspapers, a reverse in the pre-pandemic trend toward digital media, she said. Many of the print publications offer digital ads along with the print ads as well.
Roy also shared the news that Sitka’s turn to host the Alaska Travel Industry Association convention was moved from the current year to 2022, which may bring 400 visitors to town and be a boost to the community.
Visit Sitka last summer hosted a video crew to collect footage for a fictional TV show set in Sitka, and promotional videos about Sitka.
Roy said the organization wants to continue its “baseline” services, prepare for growth in visitors in the future, and also be mindful that cuts are needed because city revenues are lower – both in sales and bed taxes.
Since it was a work session Tuesday, no motions were made on funding levels. The meeting on April 1 is for the Special Revenue Funds in the fiscal year 2022 budget.
The city funds Visit Sitka through the Visitor Enhancement Fund, whose only source of revenue is the city 6 percent bed tax. Revenues came in at $557,000 from that source in fiscal year 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, said City Finance Director Melissa Haley today.
In fiscal year 2020 (July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020), that figure dropped to $398,187. The Visitor Enhancement Fund is currently $138,000 in the red.
City finance staff built the fiscal year 2022 budget around anticipating independent visitors and bed taxes to rebound to about 75 percent of 2019 levels.
The Visit Sitka Annual Marketing Work Plan for fiscal year 2022 can be viewed from the Chamber of Commerce homepage: sitkachamber.com
The videos can be reached starting Monday at the Visit Sitka’s Youtube channel:
youtube.com.visitsitka
