Creating a Vision for Community Tourism

North Central Washington Tourism Workspace

NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON is a region that includes Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties, and the Colville Confederated Tribes. State of Washington Tourism's rural tourism support program focuses on pulling together stakeholders from across the region.

THRIVING DESTINATIONS

State of Washington Tourism, in partnership with a comprehensive local steering committee, is offering a series of workshops in North Central Washington as part of a program aimed at creating a thriving and sustainable regional tourism and outdoor recreation economy.

PROGRAM DETAILS

This program offers a unique opportunity for local leaders and people working in the tourism
and outdoor recreation sectors to collaborate and align their efforts. The goals include creating
a vision of success, learning about global and international trends, and working together to
identify strategies to improve the visitor experience and enrich the local and regional
economies.

The overall program will begin with a high-level conversation about the region’s future. Then the individual workshops will target improving the outdoor recreation experience, identifying new ways to experience local foods, and determining our powerful story through artisans, makers and our local culture.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

Tues., Nov. 1
4 – 6 p.m.
Wenatchee

Kickoff Networking Event
A gathering for program participants to build or strengthen relationships that will serve as a program foundation.

Wed., Nov. 2
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Wenatchee

North Central Washington Tourism Summit: Visioning and Scenario
Planning (Full-Day Workshop)
Bringing regional stakeholders together to create a shared vision of success and begin designing a roadmap to get there.

Tues., Dec. 6
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Twisp

Outdoor Recreation + Destination Management (Full-Day Workshop)
Working together to identify gaps and opportunities for delivering a world-class outdoor recreation experience.

5 – 6 p.m.
Twisp

Networking Event
An evening networking session that will feature a guest presenter from
the region.

Wed., Dec. 7
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Twisp

Experience Local Food + Farms (Full-Day Workshop)
Bringing together growers, raisers and producers, and regional stakeholders to learn about current trends and best practices in order to create new opportunities to experience local foods.

Wed., Jan. 18
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Lucy F. Covington Government Center, Nespelem, WA

The Power of Arts + Culture (Full-Day Workshop)
Bringing together artisans, makers and our rich local cultures with regional stakeholders to work collaboratively to help grow local abundance, share culture and enhance our region’s economic vitality.

5 – 6 p.m.
Colville Tribal Museum, Coulee Dam, WA

Networking Event
Join program participants to celebrate program completion!

Each monthly segment will take place in a different county. Those who attend three of the four full-day workshops will earn a certificate of completion from State of Washington Tourism.

Interested in sharing information about this program? Program flyer and other program outreach materials here.

In order to prepare for our community workshops, we’d like to hear from you! We’d like to better understand the perspective of people who live and/or work in this region that includes Okanogan, Chelan, and Douglas Counties and the Colville Confederated Tribes.

The information you provide will be used to help inform the development of a destination tourism strategy for North Central Washington that will include a long-term vision for sustainable tourism, a roadmap with strategic focus areas, and priority strategies for improving the region’s tourism economy while enhancing local livability.

The survey should take roughly 15-20 minutes to complete.

Note: The survey has closed.

Roni Freund (Cascade Loop)

Mike Steele (Chelan Now)

Matthew Pleasants (Colville Confederated Tribes)

Roni Holder-Diefenbach (Economic Alliance (Okanogan County))

Renee Swearingen (Entiat Valley Chamber of Commerce)

Blake Froling (Gamble Sands)

Roni Smith (Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce)

Alyce Brown (North Central Washington Economic Development Dist.)

Carolyn Davis (Okanogan Country) 

Jenn Tate (Okanogan County Tourism)

Jill Thompson (Town of Waterville)

Mat Lyons (TREAD)

Sarah Brown (TwispWorks)

Trevor Lane (Washington State University)

Jerri Barkley (Visit Chelan County)

Anne Young (Winthrop Marketing)

If you’d like to invite others to participate in the program, here are some materials you can use:

Program Flyer

Press Release

Social Media Toolkit

FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTACT THE PROGRAM’S LOCAL CONVENER:

Alyce Brown, Executive Director
North Central Washington Economic Dev. Dist.

509-899-9321

Director@ncwedd.com

Crosscurrent makes the complex simple.

  • 01
    Set Up a Discovery Session
    Contact us to schedule a free 30-minute discovery session.
  • 02
    Create a Road Map
    Together we’ll sketch a road map to get a feel for the investment required.
  • 03
    Get to Work
    Once the road map is clear and the details agreed on, we’ll get right to work!