Sam Fletcher reports from the Oak Harbor City Council meeting of Tue., Dec. 17, 2024 for the Whidbey News-Times.
The year 2024 saw fewer tourists on Whidbey than the average, but those people spent more money than normal, according to Inge Morascini, marketing and program manager for Embrace Whidbey and Camano Islands.
This year saw an estimated 376,000 new visitors. Between 2004 and 2023, tourism revenue has grown by nearly 53%.
Tourism is the third largest industry on Whidbey, Morascini said at a recent city council meeting, following the Navy and county government. Of all the dollars spent in Oak Harbor, 28.9% are on tourism.
They Said It
“What we’re trying to do is attract a public that looks, feels and tastes like we do so that as we have people come into our community, they feel part of us,” Morascini said.
“We’re not Disneyland, and we know we’re not Disneyland, and we don’t want to be Disneyland,” she said. “We’re taking our local culture and highlighting it.”
“We’re having tourists come, we’re having locals participate in the same activities,” she said, “and we all become friends.”
The overall numbers reflect a critical portion of the local economy, said Councilmember James Marrow.
“The importance of tourism cannot be overestimated with regard to the growth of our city as well as the island as a rule,” he said.
