LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday continued a discussion on shifting marketing resources, voting unanimously to close the county's Lucerne Visitor Information Center and work with the chamber and local businesses to do more focused outreach both locally and on the Internet.
The Visitor Information Center has been located at 6110 E. Highway 20 for many years, and employs several staffers.
However, county officials say the center serves a shrinking number of customers, with two local business owners telling the board Tuesday that the center was “irrelevant” because people are shifting to devices like tablets and phones when it comes to seeking travel information.
The board's action included a direction to staff that the Visitor Information Center close this fall, no sooner than Sept. 6, at the end of the local tourism season.
County Administrative Officer Matt Perry, who brought the closure proposal to the board, said that he wanted to make it clear that visitors “are vital and welcome to Lake County.”
He continued, “The point to remember throughout this discussion is that visitor information services will be delivered, continue to be delivered, but in a more cost efficient manner.”
To goal is to pursue a marketing initiative that responds to the desires of tourism industry partners, adjust to leaner budgets and adapt to changing consumer behaviors. Perry said his office believes it has a responsibility to spend the county's limited transient occupancy tax revenues to effectively market Lake County as a destination.
The primary function of destination marketing, he said, is to attract visitors to Lake County and enhance the local economy through the purchasing of accommodation services, food and beverage services, and more.
Perry said they needed to focus on getting people to come to Lake County, and the shift will be to peer-to-peer marketing.
The Visitor Information Center currently costs nearly $175,000 annually to run. It had cost as much as $200,000 several years ago, Perry said. However, due to the recession, the county has lost about $500,000 annually in transient occupancy tax, or bed tax.
The county looked at closing the Visitor Information Center two days a week, which only saves $20,000 annually. Perry said a contract operation would still cost about $125,000 each year, while shifting to a mix of having the chamber and local businesses take on visitor information services would cost the county between $30,000 and $40,000 annually.
Perry's plan includes placing up to five computerized kiosks at local businesses, which would submit proposals to host the devices. There also would be the rollout of an ambassador training program, with the county also to become more active on social media platforms.
He said the county has struggled with the demands of running the Visitor Information Center and the broader marketing efforts.
In its discussions with the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Perry said the county is working with the chamber to ensure that referrals also will be given to businesses that are not chamber members.
The four fine-tuned proposals Perry and his staff presented to the board Tuesday included directing staff to work toward the closure of the Visitor Information Center; authorization to explore creating mini community visitor information centers at local businesses; authorizing modifications to the county's contract with the Lake County Chamber for additional visitor services; and reallocation of funds toward building Lake County's brand as a destination.
Board Chair Denise Rushing said some questions remained in her mind pertaining to the issues of positive visitor experience. She said visitors needed real, live people to give them information, such as where to go to dinner.
“Those are the conversations that are intangible, we don’t measure those. Those aren’t going to be on your stat graphs. Those are the conversations that really matter,” and they take place at the visitor center and lots of other places, Rushing said.
She said the ambassador training and the community visitor centers are all great ideas. “But they’re all untested here. We haven’t done any of that. and we’re not going to get it perfect in 90 days. It’s going to be a year before we get those things working well, and the trainings working right.”
Her issue, she said, was the transition time, as well as the idea of going to a no-bid contract with the chamber. While Rushing said she loves the work the chamber does, it is a political entity nationally that some local businesses haven't joined due to that fact. She wanted to make sure nonmembers were treated fairly, and questioned if the Sept. 6 closure date was realistic.
“I realize there’s a lot of work to do but we have to start,” said Perry, suggesting that the proposal language be changed to say that the visitor center would close “no earlier than” Sept. 6.
He added, “We’re not going to close it unless we’re ready,” explaining they will need to phase in duplication of services while the chamber takes over.
Supervisor Jeff Smith said the county needed to deal with the negative view of it that's generated right here at home. “I don’t know how you do that,” he said. “It’s like banging your head against the wall sometimes.”
Smith said code enforcement has been important in improving the county's image. He also questioned what happened to an accommodation rating system that had been started several years ago, which was supposed to have been a function of the Visitor Information Center.
Perry said the conclusion was that customers are more interested in what other customers say, not what the destination itself says of its services.
Smith said he wanted to take a close at arterial roadways and see where code enforcement is needed in order to come up with a strategic plan. He also suggested doing surveys with visitors.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington said the Internet has changed things dramatically. At the same time, he said there needed to be a visitor information presence outside of Lake County, in a place such as Napa County, in order to drive traffic over the mountain. He said such an outside location has been talked about over the past decade, however, “It's never gotten any traction.”
While he said it was a hard decision, Farrington supported staff's proposed direction.
Supervisor Rob Brown said the board seemed to be accepting that marketing is its responsibility. “This is not government's role, to advertise for private business.”
He said he was more inclined to see transient occupancy tax used for government functions like code enforcement.
Rushing said Brown's viewpoint was “solid advice,” adding, “Government is not built for marketing.”
Tony Barthel, owner of Featherbed Railroad bed and breakfast in Nice, said he has seen a huge shift over the past year in the number of retirement-age people using tablets rather than tour books in their travels. “It's amazing to watch the switch.”
He said the Visitor Information Center “is irrelevant now,” with so many people making plans online. Barthel urged the board to close the center, and focus more on outreach and guerrilla advertising.
Kenny Parlet, owner of Lakeview Market next door to the Lucerne Visitor Information Center, called the visitor center “irrelevant” and “worthless,” saying more emphasis was needed on code enforcement and reframing the view of Lake County.
He said many local resorts and accommodations had been “spoiled” by the benefits of Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa, which had brought people to Lake County and helped fill up rooms on a regular basis. Parlet said many businesses were successful in spite of what they did wrong, but that ended with Konocti Harbor closed in 2009.
Terry Dereniuk, executive director of the Lake County Winery Association, told the board that the Visitor Information Center's closure was long overdue and that the county needed to avoid “analysis paralysis,” get the center closed and make adjustments moving forward.
Supervisor Jim Comstock agreed that the center should be closed. “I propose we close it. Let's get it done.”
Lake County Chamber Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton said the county government does need to pay for a program that trains businesses on becoming community ambassadors, as that helps bring visitors back to the county and creates more revenue.
She suggested an accommodation rating program that includes sending out surveys to businesses in which they rate themselves, with someone then following up with the businesses to see if the ratings are accurate. “I firmly believe that we need a ratings system, but they have to take ownership,” Fulton said of local businesses.
Fulton said she also is working to establish a physical presence in Calistoga to share information about Lake County as a tourism destination. “It's very, very important that we have that.”
The chamber is willing to be a good partner, Fulton said. “The commitment is there for you.”
Deputy County Administrative Officer Alan Flora said county staff had been waiting on the board to give them direction, and they can come back with a more detailed transition plan when presenting the updated chamber contract.
Farrington said he wanted the chamber to give consideration to hiring the dedicated Visitor Information Center staff who will be out of jobs as a result of the decision.
The county intends to keep the Visitor Information Center building, with Perry reporting that Behavioral Health already is outgrowing its location on 13th Avenue in Lucerne.
Brown moved to approve the staff proposal in concept, with the board voting 5-0.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
