TOURISM INDUSTRY NEWS & RESOURCES
This partner communication exists to provide timely information on Sonoma County’s tourism and hospitality industry, along with resources to help partners navigate through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
September 21, 2021
The California hospitality industry received a double dose of good news this week, as it was reported the state has the lowest COVID rate in the U.S., and the federal government announced that come November the U.S. will reopen its borders for the first time in more than a year and a half to fully vaccinated international travelers. While COVID-19 remains a critical and serious issue, it is apparent that our high vaccination rate, robust testing, and diligent mask wearing is paying off. With California already an attractive destination for international travelers, our dedicated mitigation efforts can only make us that much more appealing.

I appreciate that for many of our partners, workforce has become your most critical issue. The promise of more customers is of little satisfaction if you don’t have the employees to serve them. If you can, I encourage you to participate in the EDB’s Employer Roundtable tomorrow (link below), which will cover workforce attraction and retention challenges. While there are no easy answers, it’s important to understand the complexity of the problem, so that we can collectively come up with long term solutions. Your input is critical to helping shape a community wide solution.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t plug Sonoma County Tourism’s upcoming annual meeting. On Wednesday, September 29, please join us to celebrate all that we have overcome in the last year, but also, all that we have planned in the next year to support you and your recovery. Even with all that we have been through, there is still much to celebrate. We will be doing just that, as we present our first Stars of the Industry awards at the end of our meeting. I hope you will join us as we share shining examples of people and businesses that make Sonoma County such a special place.
Kelly Bass Seibel
Senior Director, Community Engagement
Sonoma County Tourism
707-522-5820
Reminder: SCT’s Annual Meeting & Stars of the Industry Awards
Registration is open for Sonoma County Tourism’s 2021 Annual Meeting! Join us on September 29 from 3 to 5 p.m., via Zoom, for an informative afternoon with important updates from SCT, a special presentation on responsible travel from Andrew Leary with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, a hilarious performance from comedian Steve Bruner, and a celebration of the best of Sonoma County’s hospitality workforce during the Stars of the Industry awards. 

There is no cost to attend, but advance registration is required. We hope to see you there! 
Sonoma County Annual Tourism Report
The Sonoma County Economic Development Board and Sonoma County Tourism are pleased to bring you the 2021 Annual Tourism Report. The report contains three sections integrating findings on the local tourism industry: Industry Analysis from Moody’s Analytics; Tourism Industry Indicators from Sonoma County Tourism, Visit California, and Dean Runyan Associates; and the Sonoma County Visitor Profile from Longwoods International.

The insightful report can be downloaded here. 
Russian River Revitalization Project
The County of Sonoma and Russian River Confluence’s Russian River Revitalization project has a survey on its website to gain information on what stakeholders would like to see improved along the Russian River. We encourage you to a take a few moments to fill it out here.

Additionally, the Russian River Revitalization project has a public meeting tomorrow, September 22, from 3 to 4 p.m. for businesses to learn about the revitalization effort, and offer thoughts and ideas on next steps for this exciting project.

You can learn more and access the webinar link here. 
Upcoming EDB Events
The Sonoma County Economic Development Board has three upcoming events we wanted to place on your radar:

  • The EDB will be hosting its second Employer Roundtable, tomorrow, September 22, from 10 to 11:15 a.m. The roundtable gathers Sonoma County employers, managers, and human resource professionals for a guided discussion on workforce attraction and retention challenges. Participants will have an opportunity to share their challenges and successes and will work with peers on creative workforce solutions. Additionally, participants will learn what resources are available and what barriers are keeping eligible employees from returning to the workforce. The free event is limited to 25 participants. You can learn more and register here.

  • Also tomorrow, September 22, the EDB will be hosting a workshop on business financing from noon to 1 p.m. Whether you are just starting out or looking to expand your business, this workshop from the EDB, Redwood Credit Union, and the Economic Development & Financing Corporation (EDFC) will help you understand business loan applications along with traditional and creative financing options available in Sonoma County. The event is free, and you can learn more and register here.

  • On September 29 from 10 to 11 a.m., the EDB will be hosting an important session on demystifying vaccination and testing resources for businesses. Considering a more proactive approach to COVID-19 mitigation in the workplace? Join the EDB as it provides a rundown of locally available vaccination and testing resources to equip your business with the tools to create a healthy workplace. This workshop will include: a COVID-19 health brief from Dr. Shende, information on easy employer sponsored testing, a vaccination and testing verification toolkit, and Q&A session. The event is offered at no cost, and you can learn more and register here.