Seaside advisory committee reviews finances and launches winter 'Give the Gift to Seaside' campaign
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Summary
The Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee reviewed October finances and vendor contracts, heard preliminary Q1 bed-tax figures, and approved a five-week winter marketing push titled 'Give the gift to Seaside' aimed at Portland, Seattle and regional markets.
The Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee on Nov. 19 reviewed October financials, preliminary lodging-tax receipts and new marketing plans aimed at boosting winter visitation.
At the start of the meeting staff reviewed vendor and contract line items, naming Datify for digital advertising, Lookout for creative development, KPTV for weather-cam placement, Little Bird for on-site production, and media partnerships including iHeart radio buys in Seattle and Portland and editorial work with Media America. Staff said Seaside Condo Association dues for public parking were moved from 'professional contractual' to 'maintenance contracts' after a line-item reclassification by staff member Zach.
Staff presented visitor metrics showing web sessions up 27% in October and users up 36% for the month, with year-to-date sessions up about 5% and users up 6%. The presenter said visitor‑guide leads rose 29% in October versus the prior year and that guide orders were ‘‘up, like, 95% year over year’’ for the same period, a figure staff attributed to targeted mailing and ad-driven traffic; staff also cautioned that engagement time fell because paid-search visitors often do not browse deeply.
On lodging taxes, staff called the Q1 figures preliminary: roughly $2.7 million in hotel-tax receipts for the quarter, with related business receipts about $945,000 (up roughly 4.4% from $906,000 the prior comparable period) and a combined first-quarter total near $3.7 million. Staff emphasized the numbers were not final and said figures may change when reconciled.
The committee approved a five‑week winter campaign titled "Give the gift to Seaside," which will direct paid and organic media to a dedicated landing page and promote experiential messaging (family and multigenerational visits) across Meta carousels and targeted markets including Portland, Seattle, the Tri‑Cities, Yakima, Spokane and Bend. Staff described tests of multiple creatives and audiences and plans to refresh assets if early ad fatigue appears.
Also noted: the site's developer, Oxy Sozo, received industry awards in October for creative work on the Seaside site, and the team is preparing the 2026 visitor guide with draft and proofing steps scheduled through late November.
The committee will continue tracking campaign performance and finalize any large budget recommendations for council review.
