Snohomish County Tourism Bureau promotes Everett with theme tours, newsletters, allure of Seattle

Published 7:09 pm Sunday, January 17, 2010

For the last two years, a tourism marketing campaign managed by the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau has been promoting Everett as a destination for would-be travelers from around the northwest. Using the slogan “Everett, Just North of Seattle,” tourism officials said they are seeking to portray Everett as an affordable place to stay with lots of things to do for overnight visitors, but still close enough to get to all the attractions in and around Seattle.

Mary Jane Anderson, Everett Tourism and Visitor Services manager, said many people know how to find Seattle, but not Everett. So building awareness about Everett’s proximity to Seattle and other area attractions is a critical piece of the campaign.

To help build awareness, 30,000 full-color, tabloid-sized Everett visitor guides are now in travel hubs around the northwest. Other print materials created for the campaign include a festivals-and-events guide and “fresh sheets” that highlight current dining, shopping and accommodation options in Everett.

Travel packages for group tours are also part of the effort. According to Amy Spain, executive director of the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau, the area’s lower hotel and tax rates and lack of parking fees are attractive to tour operators.

Aviation tours and shopping excursions are among the many themed packages on the bureau’s Web site. “We have been successful in increasing our group tour market,” Spain said.

To take advantage of people’s interest in pursing their hobbies while traveling, themed packages promote Everett and beyond with activities for interests such as music, gardening and food.

“Culinary is very big now,” Anderson said.

Trends also show the popularity of weekend getaways for friends. The latest Viewpoint, which is an electronic newsletter sent from the tourism bureau, highlights more than a dozen Everett events, activities, hotels and shops all targeted to women interested in a weekend getaway.

Magazine ads and an electronic newsletter sent to travel writers around the country and in British Columbia are also part of the efforts to boost tourism in the area.

Anderson even does some of her own traveling for promotions. She recently went to Los Angeles with fellow tourism officials from Washington to meet with 16 travel writers to promote this area as a regional destination. Attending trade shows is another strategy.

“At these shows you can get face-to-face with writers and pitch your area,” she said.

The campaign is in its final year of a three-year contract issued by the city of Everett to the bureau and is part of the city’s revitalization efforts.

“A visitor staying overnight is spending more money in the community,” Spain said.

The tourism push also includes the management of an Everett visitors center, which is at Comcast Arena. Anderson manages the center and staffs it with 17 volunteers. The county tourism bureau manages three other visitors centers throughout the county as well.

“We work collectively and cooperatively with other cities,” Spain said. She also uses joint advertisements and sales missions to drive tourism throughout the county.

Goals for this year include strategies focused on media relations, discounted packages, a beefed-up Web site and travel trends. Anderson plans to host travel writers in Everett and offer discount travel packages to people looking for a good deal.

More information

For more information on tourism efforts, go to www.snohomish.org.