Tourism lifts Mendocino, Lake economies

Travel-related spending and jobs reached record and near-record levels last year in Mendocino County, mimicking a statewide economic trend that local officials and businesses hope will have staying power.

Tourism for the first time supported more than 6,000 jobs, a 4.2 percent increase from the previous year, according to a report compiled by Dean Runyan Associates for Visit California.

“I think the recession is definitely over,” said Scott Schneider, president of Visit Mendocino County, which is charged with boosting tourism in the county.

The county also saw robust gains in travel spending, which rose 3 percent last year to $339.5 million. But it fell short of the $343.2 million generated by travel in 2008, according to the study, which included figures dating back to 1992. Statewide, travel spending increased by 3.6 percent.

“Things are definitely looking up. People seem to be traveling more,” said Aubrey Rawlins, executive director of Mendocino WineGrowers Inc.

Visitor spending and visits to Lake County also improved. Direct spending rose 2.3 percent to $142.7 million, but also remained lower than 2008, according to the study. Lake County officials have noted their county typically is slower to rebound from economic slides.

“We’re hopeful” the upward trend will continue, Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown said.

Tourism figures in both counties are far lower than those in Sonoma County, where visitors spent a record $1.65 billion last year. But tourism is a more significant employer in the smaller economies of Lake and Mendocino counties, accounting for one in eight jobs in Mendocino and one in 13 jobs in Lake. In Sonoma, tourism supports almost one in 15 jobs, according to the Runyan study.

The spike in visitors has been widespread, affecting most economic sectors, including hotels, wineries, events and scenic destinations.

The Point Arena Lighthouse had a 70 percent spike in visitors in the first three months of 2014 and 40 percent for the first nine months of the year overall.

At first, lighthouse officials thought it was because of the publicity surrounding the adjacent Stornetta Public Lands, which was granted national monument status. But a survey of visitors indicated most people didn’t know about the monument. They stopped in after spotting either the signs for the lighthouse or the lighthouse itself from Highway 1 as they drove by, said Ty Moore, executive director of the lighthouse.

It appears “people have just started traveling more,” likely because the economy has improved and gas prices are low, he said.

More recently, tourism along the Mendocino Coast probably has benefited from a September New York Times article listing the monument lands among 52 places to go in 2014, Moore said.

Wine industry officials and hoteliers also reported surges in business last year and visits continue to climb this year.

“This year is great,” said Cally Dym, manager of the 66-room Little River Inn, which overlooks the Mendocino Coast.

Rawlins said the wine industry has been adding jobs to keep up with the increase in visitors.

“Business is better,” he said.

All eight of the Anderson Valley’s Pinot Noir Festival’s ticketed events held last weekend were sold out, and the wineries participating in the associated open house tours reported being very busy, said Janis MacDonald, executive director of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association.

In Lake County, those reporting increases in business include the Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing restaurant in Upper Lake.

“The overall economy may have something to do with it, but we think it’s mostly the result of a better appreciation throughout Northern California of the Lake County wine industry and the overall beauty of a rural region so close to major metropolitan areas,” owner Bernie Butcher said.

Visits from boating and fishing enthusiasts already have climbed this year, with 3,950 people buying visitor stickers for their boats between January and May compared with 3,050 for the same period last year, according to the Lake County Water Resources Department. The county issues stickers to out-of-county boaters in an effort to prevent invasive mussels from contaminating the lake.

“The word has definitely gotten out about the great fishing and outdoor activities in Lake County,” said Mark Miller, the program’s coordinator.

Clear Lake is in better shape than most others in the drought-ravaged state. Despite the drought, Clear Lake is 2 feet deeper now than it was at the same time last year, said Jill Ruzicka, a senior analyst with Lake County’s administrative office.

Lake County has a lot to offer tourists and, like Mendocino County, is working on ways to better promote those assets and compete for tourism dollars, she said.

“I think we just need to get the word out about the positive things in Lake County,” Ruzicka said.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MendoReporter.