Business and Tourism Support

By Janice Peters

Creating year round tourism and increasing local support for our businesses are vital to improve our revenue.

As fulfillment of one of my campaign promises to improve community and Council interaction, we held two town hall meetings, one focused on the business community. Since that meeting, a weekly business forum has begun, and the discussions have been informative for all involved.

Our promotions committee is focusing our advertising on eco-tourism activities, such as birdwatching, hiking, biking, kayaking, etc. This year we began an "I Love Tourists" button campaign that was very well received by our visitors.

The City is currently considering a hotel/conference center proposal on Market St. that would unite the downtown and Embarcadero areas, and encourage year round visitors. This project will have full public hearings at the Planning Commission and City Council level, with ample opportunity for community input.

It is also important that residents get in the habit of shopping at our local businesses first, and a campaign is being prepared to let people know the variety of goods and services they may not realize are available in Morro Bay.

I have been actively involved in all these activities and will continue to look for ways to improve our local economy.