2020/2021 When non-essential travel was off limits, the campaign shifted to Wander Locally, encouraging Tuolumne County residents to support businesses within their own community. Geo-fenced advertising promoted shopping local, ordering take-out and delivery from restaurants and booking staycations. Additionally, weekly gift card giveaways were used as a way to engage residents across social media channels. PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES Tuolumne County Healthy Pledge Program A commitment to creating and providing a clean, safe and healthy environment for residents and visitors. Not only did the program contribute to the organization’s focus on sustainability and responsible travel, it reinforced confidence among potential travelers that they could feel safe when visiting the destination. Trail Heads Program Tapping into the county’s #1 activity, this program was designed to help people enjoy the beautiful landscape of the region and position Visit Tuolumne County as a top resource for all trail enthusiasts. The initiative creates brand loyalty among travelers and encourages repeat visitation through virtual badge offerings, while also reinforcing sustainability messaging. Follow Me in Tuolumne Podcast In May, Visit Tuolumne County launched a new podcast. The platform’s growing audience is highly engaged, spending an average of 20-30 minutes at a time listening to episodes. 2020 Travel Spending and Tax Revenue Total Direct Travel Spending * $173 million Tourism Industry Employment * 2,100 Government Revenue Generated by Tourism Local Sales Tax Receipts$6.6 million State Sales Tax Receipts$7.3 million Transient Occupancy Tax$3.575 million State and local tax revenue equivalency per Tuolumne County household $638 Tuolumne County’s beauty is well worth sharing. Our marketing strategy for Visit Tuolumne County’s destination strove to do precisely that, amplifying the brand throughout California, the United States and international markets. Our marketing efforts stretched over strategic partnerships with consistent messaging over multi-channel platforms. Despite the challenges faced by our community during the pandemic, Visit Tuolumne County’s marketing and advertising efforts have positioned the destination well, moving full steam ahead as an active contributor to local economic recovery efforts. Although the travel industry was practically at a standstill for most of the fiscal year, limited visitation still brought nearly $3.6 million in TOT funds, $6.6 million in local sales tax and $7.3 million in state sales tax. CONSUMER CAMPAIGNS On the consumer front, Visit Tuolumne County’s consumer marketing campaign, Wander Freely, continued to reach audiences, pivoting as needed to welcome guests during periods when travel restrictions were lifted. Through owned, earned and paid channels, the campaign targeted residents in the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Sacramento regions. While the primary objectives were to increase visitation, travel spending, and overnight stays, the messaging was sensitive to what audiences were experiencing. And the results well exceeded industry standards. Tuolumne County was no doubt top of mind among potential visitors. 2020 Travel Spending and Tax Revenue VisitTCToday.com/WhereTraveler Discover the beauty of road tripping through Tuolumne County – an easy getaway close to home with miles of fresh air, outdoor adventure and charming historic towns. From hiking and kayaking to strolling unique shops and local cuisine, there’s plenty to explore throughout the High Sierra, Gold Country and Yosemite when you’re ready. VisitTCToday.com/AdventureSports gift card giveaways PROMOTED SHOPPING LOCAL GROVELAND SONORA TWAIN HARTE COLUMBIA JAMESTOWN YOSEMITE VALLEY Pinecrest Yosemite National Park Emigrant Wild ns Area Stanislaus National Fort TUOLUMNE MEADOWS DRAGOON GULCH Length: 3.1 miles Difficulty: Easy - Strenuous Route Type: Loop Stroll through the Mother Lode’s oak woodlands along beautifully shaded trails with stunning panoramas of downtown Sonora and its surrounding mountain ranges. RED HILLS RECREATION MANAGEMENT AREA Length: Varies Difficulty: Easy - Moderate Route Type: Loop Several trails feature wildlife, serpentine formations, a wide variety of plants and gorgeous spring wildflowers. You can even spot bald eagles in the winter. FERRETTI RD TRAIL NETWORK Length: 5.6 miles Difficulty: Moderate Route Type: Loop Trail network includes a 1.3 mile bike-only loop with optional features and views into Yosemite and the Tuolumne River Canyon. COLUMBIA COLLEGE FITNESS TRAIL Length: 1.6 miles Difficulty: Easy Route Type: Loop Enjoy an invigorating hike around Columbia College with workout stations and pond views. WEST SIDE RAILROAD TRAIL Length: 10 miles Difficulty: Moderate Route Type: Out & Back Once a railroad grade used for logging, this trail winds around the mountainside with wildflowers, butterflies and picturesque Tuolumne River landscapes. SUGAR PINE TRAIL Length: 4.7 miles Difficulty: Moderate Route Type: Out & Back The year-round trail is a family and dog friendly option primarily used for hiking, walking and running. The trail offers water features, a wide gravel path plus surrounding trees which provide plenty of shade. PINECREST LAKE LOOP TRAIL Length: 3.9 miles Difficulty: Moderate Route Type: Loop The popular trail loops the entirety of Pinecrest Lake and crosses the Stanislaus River and the dam. CARLON FALLS Length: 3.8 miles Difficulty: Moderate Route Type: Out & Back Hike into Yosemite Wilderness along the clear Tuolumne River to beautiful falls. The trail head is located outside the park, and park fees are not required. WAPAMA FALLS/RANCHERIA FALLS YOSEMITE’S HETCH HETCHY ENTRANCE Length: 5 miles/13.4 miles Difficulty: Moderate - Strenuous Route Type: Out & Back One of the more popular trails in Yosemite leads to some of the park’s tallest waterfalls. The 5-mile portion provides spectacular sights of Tueeulala and Wapama Falls, while the longer 13.4 mile hike also includes Rancheria Falls and stunning valley scenery. LITTLE GOLDEN FOREST TRAIL Length: 2 miles Difficulty: Easy Route Type: Loop Co-sponsored by Little Golden Children’s Books and the National Arbor Day Foundation, this family-friendly trail takes you into Stanislaus National Forest. RELIEF RESERVOIR Length: 6.1 miles Difficulty: Moderate Route Type: Out & Back A great hike for beginning backpackers, this trail includes Kennedy Meadows and the Relief Reservoir with amazing mountain and lake scenery. PACIFIC CREST TRAIL Length: 12.1 miles (segment) Difficulty: Moderate Route Type: Out & Back This National Scenic Trail is a treasured pathway stretching from the Mexican border in Southern CA all the way up to the Canadian border in WA. This Tuolumne Meadows to Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp portion travels through Yosemite and includes a granite beach, waterfalls and beautiful wooded areas. Outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds love Tuolumne County and it’s easy to see why. There’s much to enjoy here and literally hundreds of trails to choose from. This top 12 list will guide you to beautiful locations. Please be sure to recreate responsibly, stay on the trail, be wildlife aware, pack out what you pack in and leave no trace so others can enjoy it too. For more information on these trails and others available, visit HIKEBIKEHORSEBACKDOG-FRIENDLY TUOLUMNE COUNTY’S BEST TRAILS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 9 8 10 3 2 5 6 4 1 7 11 VisitTCToday.com/TrailHeads.SUSTAINABILITY Visit Tuolumne County developed a plan to ensure residents and visitors have beautiful and resilient places to live, work and play. The plan is based on five pillars: • Protect the environment and cultural/historical resources, and regional identity • Protect and enhance resident quality of life • Foster a vibrant economy • Provide for an excellent visitor experience • Ensure enjoyment by future generations From in-office initiatives to more visible aspects like a “Leave No Trace” billboard and a partnership with the Pinecrest Expedition Academy to plant a new grove of giant sequoias in Kennedy Meadows, the team not only shares the message, but lives it. Visit Tuolumne County consistently shares messages about adventuring responsibly, wildfire prevention and more on its social media channels. EVENTS Tuolumne County Restaurant Week Held in January, the event embraced some adjustments to ensure programming was COVID-appropriate. Targeting a locals-only audience, two promotional components were the focus of the event: Promote safe takeout dining options and special discounts from participating locations, and highlighting international dishes offered by local restaurants with supporting messaging of “Dine Local While Dreaming Global.” Tuolumne County Art Week An inaugural celebration of arts and culture hosted by Visit Tuolumne County celebrated creativity throughout the community. Coinciding with California’s Arts, Culture and Creativity Month, the week-long event took place in April and featured local artists and art-related organizations. SOCIAL MEDIA Social channels saw a remarkable increase in audiences with Instagram most notably seeing a 21% increase year-over-year and a view rate of over 15% for Stories – well above benchmarked expectations. The average post engagement rate was 6.74%, which is nearly 5 times the industry standard. Visit Tuolumne County also added Spotify and TikTok to their list of platforms. In total, VTC channels have over 52,000 followers, garnering over 2.3 million organic impressions throughout last year. PUBLIC RELATIONS Efforts focused on bringing the destination to visitors virtually during shutdown periods and then ramping up with unique story ideas and earned media coverage to let travelers know Tuolumne County is safely open for business. Coverage was published in Travel+Leisure, Forbes, Men’s Journal, and across Visit California channels, to name a few. This local, regional and national coverage received a reach of over 1.3 billion and over 4.5 million coverage views. CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN Serving as a comprehensive evaluation of potential crises for the region, content includes a response plan for each potential crisis with specific steps to follow during and after a crisis. With no shortage of challenges, this past year has put a spotlight on how important the visitor economy is to Tuolumne County. It is the largest private sector industry bringing in millions of new dollars and tax revenues that help sustain our community’s vital services and support our families, friends and neighbors. We look forward to continuing recovery efforts, working tirelessly to bring this vital source of funding back to the region. Visit Tuolumne County • 193 S Washington St. Sonora, California 95370 • (800) 446-1333 • VisitTuolumne.com FILM TUOLUMNE COUNTY More than just travelers and outdoor enthusiasts have taken notice of Tuolumne County. Film crews were eager to take advantage of the limited crowds and capture some incredible footage. Two feature films, a photoshoot and documentary for TV were filmed throughout the county this past year. PARTNERSHIPS Aiming at capturing new opportunities, VTC focused marketing partnerships on regional, state, national and international levels. This allowed for Visit Tuolumne County to leverage funding and capture market share with new audiences, enabling the destination to continue to build the tourism pipeline of interested, potential visitors. These partnerships included Visit California, Gold Country Visitors Association, High Sierra Visitors Council, Yosemite Gateways, Brand USA and Black Diamond.Next >