Admittedly, a lot of people avoid surveys. They have other things they want to do with their time than answer questions.
But this isn’t a political poll or an advocacy group asking your opinion about a hot topic, or a company asking how much you love their product.
The borough has given the Sustainable Tourism Lab at Oregon State University a homework project. The students will run an online survey of Wrangell residents, asking their opinions about — yes, you’re right — tourism. What’s good about it, what’s not so good. What are the benefits and what are the costs to the community.
The students will follow up with some in-person interviews and meetings the third week of February and will present the results and recommendations in April.
No question that Wrangell’s economy needs more money coming into town. The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau has stepped up its game to attract not just cruise ships and small tour boats to town but particularly more independent travelers. They stay longer and spend more money on food, lodging and tours.
As much as more visitor spending would be good for the town, putting more money into the hands of shop owners, tour operators, hotel and bed and breakfast operations, tourism also puts more money into the borough treasury from sales taxes. And cruise ships pay into the port and harbors fund, which can always use additional funds for maintenance and upgrades.
So as much as people may not like surveys, this is one that will returns benefits to Wrangell. Not just economic, but helping to steer the convention and visitor bureau, the borough and businesses as they look for the right balance between welcoming more tourists to town while still preserving Wrangell’s character.
Look for the notice next month of the online survey and take a few minutes to click through the questions. It will help guide better decisions.
Then, if you want, you can still hang up on the next political phone survey.
- Wrangell Sentinel
Reader Comments(0)