Monterey Calif., September 2022 – Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Monterey County CVB) released its new annual Business Plan and its first-ever multi-year Strategic Roadmap at its Annual Meeting late last week. Local business owners, elected officials, and stakeholders were in attendance as Monterey County CVB's president and CEO, Rob O'Keefe, introduced the organization's community-driven strategic plan.
“This is a long-term strategic plan, guided by the community for the benefit of the community and is reliant on community collaboration,” said O'Keefe. “The plan's initiatives include generating community prosperity through the sustainable growth of travel to Monterey County. The best way to grow this crucial segment of our economy is by targeting visitors who stay longer, do more, and spend more— especially during non-peak seasons.”
Monterey County CVB worked with globally recognized partners, including strategic planning firm Coraggio Group and Tourism Economics (an Oxford Economics company), to research and identify the needs of the local community and hospitality industry partners. The research also uncovered needed insight into Monterey County's competitors to create an approach that will make Monterey County more competitive. The resulting roadmap is built on hundreds of survey responses – from residents to business owners – as well as interviews with local civic and industry leaders and community input forums held throughout the County. A Strategic Planning Taskforce, including Monterey County CVB Board of Directors Chair Teri Owens, led the development of the plan.
“Tourism is the number one economic driver on the Monterey Peninsula and number two for the County,” said Owens, the General Manager of the Hilton Embassy Suites Monterey Bay Seaside. “Sustaining and growing visitation to our destination is key to economic recovery, employment, and overall quality of life for our communities and residents. We are thrilled to release this plan and even more excited to collaborate with our industry and community to put it into action.”
The plan prioritizes extended stays over increasing overall visitor volume; increasing the promotion of sustainable, responsible, and respectful travel; and more engagement with community partners, including Monterey Regional Airport, Monterey-Salinas Transit, Visit Carmel, Monterey County Hospitality Association, Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association, area Chambers of Commerce, and more. The plan targets both domestic and international leisure travelers and places a strong emphasis on bringing highly valuable groups and conferences to the area—as business travelers typically stay longer, have a smaller impact on the destination, and travel mid-week and during the off-season.
“This is a managed growth approach built around imperatives that emphasize both economic vitality for the community and environmental sustainability.” said O'Keefe “Our community has a choice in how our visitor economy performs over the next decade—this plan is the roadmap.”
In order to execute the ambitious goal of growing visitor spending and community funding by billions of dollars, Monterey County CVB is seeking to grow its budget through the Monterey County Tourism Improvement District (MCTID). The MCTID is funded directly by visitors through hotels and lodging properties countywide, meaning the increase would have no implications on local taxpayers or impact community funding. The increase would provide the CVB with the additional budget to be more competitive against nearby destinations like Napa, Sonoma, and San Luis Obispo Counties which already have significantly larger budgets to attract high-value leisure visitors and meetings and conferences.
“The goal isn't necessarily more travelers,” said O'Keefe. “This new plan emphasizes travelers who come from further distances and tend to stay longer. That does not mean we will stop marketing the destination to our Bay Area and Central Valley drive markets—they will always be critical. It just gives us a broader target to reach valuable fly market visitors, a group our competitors have had an advantage on in the past.”
For more information on Monterey County CVB's 2022-23 Business Plan and new Strategic Roadmap, visit Seemonterey.com/members/tools/reports.
If you are interested in a quote or interview from Monterey County CVB's president and CEO, Rob O'Keefe, please reach out to media@seemonterey.com to facilitate.
ABOUT MONTEREY COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Monterey County CVB) is a 501c6 non-profit organization that drives safe and responsible tourism for Monterey County. Tourism is the largest industry on the Monterey Peninsula and the second largest in the County. Monterey County CVB is a partnership of the hospitality community and local governments that aims to drive business growth through compelling marketing and targeted sales initiatives that maximize the benefits of tourism to its guests, members and the community. Travel spending in Monterey County was $2.5 billion in 2021, supporting 21,600 jobs and generating $264 million in state and local tax revenue that directly benefited the community. For more information, visit www.SeeMonterey.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.Website: https://www.seemonterey.com/
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