Whidbey–Camano tourism leaders outline growth, defend governance after public complaints

Inga, PR and marketing director for Whidbey & Camano Islands Tourism, told the Coupeville Town Council on Jan. 14 that tourism is the islands’ third-largest industry and that recent campaigns and data work have increased reach and bookings.

The tourism organization reported that accommodations, restaurants and related services produced roughly $177 million in gross revenue countywide in 2023, and the group said lodging and food-service taxable sales rose compared with 2022. Inga also described new marketing tactics — a year-round PBS campaign tailored to the organization’s older demographic, monthly social-media quizzes that generate AI-created itineraries and an online survey that has added about 2,000 mailing-list subscribers in six months.

Why it matters: Island County tourism generates substantial local jobs and sales; changes in visitor patterns and short-term rental trends can affect housing, parking and downtown businesses in Coupeville and elsewhere on Whidbey and Camano islands.

Inga said the tourism program is repositioning toward “regenerative tourism,” targeting visitors whose interests align with local culture and conservation and steering them to less-visited trails and heritage sites. She described measurable returns from the group’s website and media placements, and said short-term rentals in the Coupeville ZIP code were up about 12% over 2023.

After the presentation, a longtime local tourism board member identified as Jandy (a member of the Whidbey & Camano Islands Tourism Committee who represents Coupeville) addressed a separate controversy. Jandy, speaking for herself and not the full board, said the board had been the subject of repeated emails from a community member and that the board had cooperated with a 2023 state audit. She read from the auditor’s exit report, saying the audit found that “the board operations complied in all material aspects with applicable state laws, regulations, and its own policies and provided adequate controls over the safeguarding of public resources.”

Jandy acknowledged the audit included recommendations and that the committee has worked to implement changes over the past 18 months, including revised procurement procedures and a formal RFP process for contractors. She said the tourism board’s budget for 2025 was included in the county budget and that the board planned further updates to its interlocal agreement, which the auditor recommended revising.

Council member Jackie Anderson praised the tourism program’s outreach and materials, saying the group’s print guides and visitor-center work “are money really well spent” and noting the organization’s regional marketing reach.

The council did not take formal action on tourism funding or governance at the meeting. Inga offered to provide Coupeville-specific short-term rental and visitor data on request, and board members said they would share additional reports with town staff.

Ending: Council members and staff asked for follow-up data on short-term rentals restricted to Coupeville town limits and said they would coordinate with the tourism group on local marketing and visitor-center reports.