Here are some of the things the Monterey County Visitors and Convention Bureau are doing to educate visitors to Big Sur. Check out these resources when you have a minute. Thanks, MCVCB. Now, if we could just find a way to channel some of the advertising budgets of all these organizations into some ON-THE-GROUND action, like porta potties, trash receptacles, extra patrols by MCSO to ticket those who are breaking the law by camping on the side of the road, or worse, building campfires,. then we would finally have something real going. With all the tourists dollars Big Sur brings in to the entire county, some of it needs to be spent here to make the visitors experience more enjoyable. This outreach is a start, but it is only a start.
SeeMonterey.com homepage has a link to a Big Sur microsite that is loaded with the latest information, maps, tips and suggestions ranging from fire/smoking restrictions to FAQs on responsible tourism. See that page here: https://www.seemonterey.com/resources/travel-alert/#sm.0002nsm037hcea110tx17oyjr82hg
• We’ve also created a special Travel Like a Big Sur Expert page with “Dos and Don’ts” – https://www.seemonterey.com/regions/big-sur/big-sur-sustainable/#sm.0002nsm037hcea110tx17oyjr82hg
• We created a Sustainable Moments video series that features Big Sur – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJtR8T1k8yo
• Our Visitor Center is getting about 4000 people a week right now – more than half inquire about Big Sur and we use it as an opportunity to educate them on experiencing Big Sur in a safe and responsible way
• We work with a handful of regional partners ranging from Visitor California to the Central Coast Tourism Council to other CVBs and agencies – attached is an example of a Market Situation Report (MSR) we regularly distribute. With Visit California we update on a weekly basis.
• We constantly update and monitor social channels. On our Facebook page we reach over 100,000 people (and by extension tens of thousands more) with messaging about Big Sur, how to visit and how to do so responsibly. Below is a recent post.
• We’ve been running a significant amount of advertising and paid social posts to promote how enjoy Big Sur in safe and responsible ways. And we’re running paid advertising within Monterey County to reach visitors already in our destination.
• Supervisor Mary Adams is heading up the developing situation and working with Caltrans, Parks and others. MCCVB has been a part of that working group since day. We supported and helped facilitate and promote the new shuttle service designed to mitigate single car traffic – and we support carrying this on beyond the road closures.
• Our PR team is proactively reaching out to journalists around the globe to push a balanced message – Big Sur is open and visit smartly, safely and responsibly.
• An example of getting the message out about balanced tourism growth is this article in Edible Monterey – http://ediblemontereybay.com/our-newsletter-sponsors-spotlight/sustainable-moments-strengthen-local-tourism/
• We’ve created a ‘resource kit’ for all our members with a variety of tools and tips designed to promote responsible tourism throughout Monterey County – https://www.seemonterey.com/members/tools/sustainable-moments/#sm.0002nsm037hcea110tx17oyjr82hg
I don’t mean to overwhelm you. And there is more… But want to give you and others answers for when asked “What is MCCVB doing?”.
While we are very focused on educating travelers about Big Sur – we need to look for more ways to inform and educate our residents on what we are doing and how to collaborate. We are open to more ideas and more collaboration, so be we’ll reach out to Big Sur Kate as well. If you have any further thoughts or questions, please let us know…
Dear Supervisor Mary Adams,
Thank you for all your efforts to improve Monterey County.
The following would vastly improve the Big Sur Coast experience for all people:
Place porta-potties at turnouts every 5(?) miles along the scenic Hwy 1 route; additionally, garbage dumpsters or barrels so that visitors have some where to empty their trash, rather than on the sacred earth.
This wouldn’t cost a huge amount of money, and would be an outstanding improvement.
Perhaps consider this as an experimental test-trial over the summer months to see how viable an enhancement this might prove to be.
Thank you kindly for you consideration,
a long time friend of the region, Wally
MH/VF: “PHOTOS: One year after the Soberanes Fire”
http://photos.montereyherald.com/2017/07/21/photos-one-year-after-the-soberanes-fire/
Porta- potties are the ugliest stinkiest things I’d ever want to enter and I don’t want to pay for them with my tax dollars! (I would prefer a bush over one of those nose pinching, bluish chemical after-tasting germ bins.)
Have people stop in at the businesses to alleviate themselves and spend some money at the establishment doing it. We could have peeping toms’ patrolling the coast and fine anyone caught leaving scat.
SERIOUSLY, I think the HWY ONE EASEMENT should become a state park used by locals and their guest for free a la Pebble Beach 7-mile drive and paying/measured/limited/sustainable numbers of tourists, a la Pebble Beach, traveling through. Bathroom services could be like permanent rest-stops one finds along HWYs. The travel/entry tickets over HWY One would need to generate the $s for enforcement rangers and permanent building toilets.
it is time to seriously consider this option as one of the solutions to manage this ugly invasive reality.
70 MILE DRIVE! Point Lobos to Hearst Castle (as the bird flies).
Tomorrow, July 22! Sobering SOBERANES DAY!
from the web: “Rancho Los Coches was a 8,794-acre (35.59 km2) Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to María Josefa Soberanes. The name means “the pigs”.”