Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tourism Economic Impact topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Visit Lake County reports rising web traffic and marketing gains; board highlights local partnerships
Summary
Visit Lake County presented its 2024 annual report to Clear Lake council, citing a $417,000 FY2024 budget funded by a lodging assessment and growth in website users, paid-search performance and social media engagement.
Brian Fisher, executive director of Visit Lake County, presented the tourism district’s annual report to the Clear Lake City Council on July 21, describing marketing results for the 2024 fiscal year and plans for the coming months.
Fisher said Visit Lake County’s FY2024 budget was about $417,000, funded primarily by an assessment on lodging bookings and a small share of transient occupancy tax (TOT) redirected from the county and participating cities. He told the council the destination’s website saw 286,000 users and 327,000 sessions last year, page views were up roughly 49% year over year, and Book Direct hotel‑search queries on the site totaled about 68,000 with nearly 10,000 clicks to stakeholder pages.
The report highlighted organic search and direct traffic as primary sources of web visits and paid search and paid social as important acquisition channels. Fisher said Visit Lake County partners regionally with Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties on the North of Ordinary campaign, which the group says added more than 3,000 opt‑in email contacts to its database.
Fisher described earned media coverage, a growing social presence (Facebook followers increased to about 36,000), a new second issue of the Lake Life magazine with 20,000 copies planned, and an emphasis on video assets and a “Book Direct” widget that provides lodging search data.
Council members asked whether hotel occupancy had improved; Fisher said county TOT receipts and quarterly data indicate growth in tourism receipts relative to 2023. He also asked how the city could assist; Fisher asked the city to amplify the new Clear Lake branding and to include tourism content in city newsletters and channels.
Sources: Presentation by Brian Fisher, Executive Director, Visit Lake County, during the City Council meeting of July 21, 2025; Fisher’s slides and Q&A with council.
