Glaeser

WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla Valley is growing as a tourism destination, and Guy Glaeser of Visit Walla Walla wants to make sure the region is capitalizing on its growing status.

Glaeser recently stepped into his new role as executive director for the tourism organization and said his first project was applying for the state of Washington Tourism’s Rural Tourism Program, or RTP.

Only one region in Washington is chosen every year to be part of the program, and the Walla Walla Valley earned the award this year, Glaeser said Friday, June 2. The RTP will help the Walla Walla region find a common direction and vision to help support the local economy through tourism.

He said the application required letters of support from community leaders and stakeholders across the Walla Walla area involved in economic development, education, tourism, business and other industries.

“It was so great to have an instantaneous and thorough response in support,” Glaeser said. “I was blown away by the community and the commitment.”

The Rural Tourism Program began in 2021 and is a key pillar of the State of Washington Tourism’s, or SWT, destination development plan and specifically focuses on underserved and rural communities.

A multi-sector steering committee of about 10 to 15 area stakeholders is responsible for identifying key action items, including a 10-year vision for the Walla Walla region, which encompasses the county and extends into certain parts of Oregon.

Glaeser said the committee has yet to be defined. Those interested in being a part of the decision-making process should email info@wallawalla.org.

The program progresses through phases to establish the vision, goals and priorities for tourism in the Walla Walla region. Workshops, facilitated by tourism experts, provide a platform for stakeholders to discuss various aspects of tourism in the area, such as businesses, industries, and related entities. These phases are projected to take about two months to complete.

The anticipated outcome of completing the program phases is to create a vision narrative of what the stakeholders want tourism to look like in the Walla Walla region in 10 years.

The vision narrative is accompanied by a roadmap that provides support for short- and long-term actions. The roadmap includes a statement of intent, key strategic focus areas and accompanying plans.

To ensure effective planning, a “Destination Leadership Team” composed of key stakeholders is established. Additionally, three action teams are formed to work on priority projects. The objective is to generate momentum behind at least three priority projects within the destination, which will be fueled by SWT grant funding. The aim is to engage the community in the projects.

In late 2021, the Tri-County Economic Development District in northeastern Washington was chosen as the first destination partner for the program.

In 2022, three counties in north-central Washington were selected for the second round of the program with stakeholders in Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties.

Mike Moe, director of strategic partnerships and tourism development of SWT, said an average of $120,000 is invested into the program and the region. Most of the funding is put into creating the workshops where experts help the community develop its destination goal to get projects off the ground.

Moe emphasized that the SWT aims to target entire regions, and he was pleased to witness the inclusivity and diverse perspectives in the application from not only Walla Walla but the surrounding cities.

“One thing we encourage our applicants to do is to reach outside of the bubble to someone new,” Moe said. “We want people to talk to land managers, city council members, tribal members and people who you don’t normally have in your orbit. We want this program to form tourism that is not just for visitors but also the residents.”