PORT TOWNSEND — Outlining a long list of goals, target markets and strategic marketing recommendation, the city of Port Townsend’s marketing director says the city is working along with the rest of the Olympic Peninsula’s tourism interests to draw Canadian visitors.
“We are partnering with the Olympic Peninsula Tourism Coalition to target southern Vancouver Island visitors,” said Christina Pivarnik, addressing more than 40 attending Monday’s Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge.
Pivarnik said the city was developing a marketing promotion to British Columbia, and was targeting advertising in the Vancouver media market.
Pivarnik said the city’s tourism marketing strategy is a cooperative effort with other regional tourism agencies and is intended to increase the city’s brand awareness.
Part of the message: “Enjoy Port Townsend.”
“We really want to bring people in especially from October to April and Sunday through Thursday,” she said.
“We just want people here all the time.”
Lodging tax revenues
Pivarnik said the goal was to bring lodging tax revenues to a record-breaking year.
Small groups of up to 150 people were being sought for conferences or were already secured, from the state Main Street program to international rowers.
The city has also joined in partnership with the Seattle Visitor and Convention Bureau to get “some of their spillover.”
By being a member organization with the Seattle bureau, it would likely send more visitors to Port Townsend, she said.
Extending visitor stays for such events as the Port Townsend Film Festival was another goal.
Twilight boost
The Twilight books and movies also have proven a peripheral boost to Port Townsend’s tourism economy, she said.
“We’ve been very lucky. We’ve gotten a lot of the spillover from the Twi-hards,” Pivarnik said, adding that while teens are exploring Forks, their parents are coming to visit Port Townsend as a side trip.
Pivarnik said target-marking to Olympia and Portland, Ore., has proven successful.
She urged the audience to become Enjoypt.com fans on Facebook.com and follow her on Twitter.com.
Her goal, she said was to have 2,010 Facebook page fans for Enjoy PT this year.
She also said the city plans to develop an active convention and visitor bureau and ensure that passengers off CruiseWest cruise ships landing at Union Wharf in Port Townsend are treated well on their visits downtown and uptown.
She said the Port Townsend Farmers Market sees a boost in sales when the small cruise ships are docked in Port Townsend.
Culinary loop
Other promotions include tying in Jefferson County farms with the Olympic Culinary Loop (see related story).
Fishermen, divers and kayakers would also be among the markets targeted for “experiential” visits to the area.
The city will develop a public relations plan revolving around the new 64-car state ferry, Chetzemoka, when it is launched late this summer on the Port Townsend-Keystone route.
“We will be partnering with our Whidbey Island counterparts and possibly others,” she said.
The enjoypt.com Web site will be changed seasonally to reflect the time of the year, she said.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
