Sky Valley wants to be discovered.
Business leaders in the small community in east Snohomish County have visions of tourism dollars flooding into cash boxes in Sultan, Index, Startup and other small towns in the Cascade foothills near Stevens Pass.
They’re trying to brand the region as an outdoor-recreation destination, hoping visitors will come for the fishing and river rafting and spend money in restaurants and shops along the way.
A man fishes where the Skykomish and Sultan rivers converge in Sultan. (Herald file photo.)
But waking the sleepy collection of small towns up to that goal — that’s the challenge.
“We have so many businesses in our region that even we as residents don’t know exist,” said Jeff Cofer, president of the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce. “There’s no reason we can’t pull people off the highway and create that sense of destination.”
Creating a destination takes a change in mindset, and that’s the message business leaders like Cofer are preaching.
At a before-hours meeting at the Dutch Cup Restaurant in Sultan last week, a group of business owners and government officials plotted a strategy.
“When you think of Sultan, what is our theme?” asked Wendy Reddick, owner of Front Porch Feed and Mercantile in Sultan.
The answer came quickly.
“Outdoor recreation is the economic future of our region,” said Debbie Copple, Director of the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce.
They want to be known for adventure: kayaking, river rafting, fishing and other sports. But first they have to get local businesses on-board with a plan to ramp up tourism offerings.
Carolyn Eslick, mayor of Sultan, said it takes three elements for a complete tourism plan: food, lodging and experiences.
Businesses have to think like a community, meaning referrals have to become second nature and owners have to think about their roles in a greater context.
Every business should have a Web site. But word of mouth can’t be beat.
“It becomes the very best marketing tool we can have,” Copple said. “And it’s absolutely free.”
The region will be included on agri-tourism maps this spring, a draw for visitors interested in farms open to the public. And business leaders are making an effort to present a clear picture of what Sky Valley has to offer through promotional materials and an updated chamber of commerce Web site.
But there are obstacles to overcome, too — the region’s transient population, for one. Efforts are under way to keep transients from taking up residence in abandoned buildings throughout the Sky Valley, and Sultan Mayor Eslick said she’s starting to see progress.
She’s encouraging stores to install security cameras and to call 911 to report disturbing behavior.
Know a small business you think we should write about? Contact Herald writer Amy Rolph at arolph@heraldnet.com.
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