The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau held a meeting last Thursday, on Feb. 21. The bureau’s online presence was a big topic of discussion. The bureau is working on a new website. This has been a big project for them for the past several months, and is still in the works. The new site is designed to show off Wrangell and let visitors know about the many attractions the island has to offer, and to help tourists plan their trips. The site is up and running, but the bureau is still working to make sure all the links are working and the information provided is up-to-date.
“I get in there when I can and do updates, and additions, and changes, and stuff like that, but there’s still a lot to do,” said Wrangell Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore.
Something the bureau wants for the website is more photographs to show off the town. They request that members of the public who have photographs they would like to donate to the website get in touch with them. Rushmore can be reached at (907) 874-2381.
Another aspect of the bureau’s online presence that was brought up was Facebook ads. The Wrangell CVB has $1,500 budgeted for Facebook ads for the whole year, Rushmore explained. So far, about $200 of that budget has been spent. What Rushmore wanted, she said, was some direction on how to use the remainder of that money. There was some discussion on the cost of advertisements, and how often they should be run. Eventually, the bureau agreed to spend $100 a week on Facebook ads, which would take them into the month of May. They would decide week-by-week what the ads should promote.
“Wrangell By the Numbers” was also discussed in the meeting. In previous years, Rain Coast Data out of Juneau was contracted to put together an economic report of the visitor industry in Wrangell, as well as a general overview of Wrangell’s economy. The most recent report, completed in 2018, showed that tourism was the second largest private sector industry for Wrangell. Between the summer months of May and September of 2017, about $4.6 million was spent.
The “by the numbers” report was brought up again because Rushmore said she would like to have the report updated this year, and have it come out more regularly. The bureau decided that they would like future reports to look at Wrangell and the tourism industry as a whole, but they would also like to see some reports on the Nolan Center in particular. They agreed, after some discussion, that they would like to see a new report this year. Afterwards, they decided to schedule further reports every two years.
Other items covered in the meeting included a draft schedule of the upcoming Birdfest, a budget update, a discussion of concerns of how the governor’s proposed cuts to the Alaska Marine Highway could hurt Wrangell, and approval of a purchase of a taxidermied halibut for the Nolan Center and for Wrangell’s booth at boat shows.
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