The initial results from a survey that will help craft a Lewis County-wide tourism plan found that visitors to the county tend to have a higher income than residents.
Roughly a quarter of the visitors to west Lewis County live in a household that makes more than $150,000, which outpaces the county demographic of 8.3%, according to a report prepared by Arnett Muldrow, a consulting firm.
That discrepancy, analysts say, creates an opportunity to increase offerings to a demographic that traditionally has disposable funds.
Tripp Muldrow, a partner at Arnett Muldrow, met with local officials and tourism leaders Monday afternoon to outline this and other findings in an initial report on Lewis County tourism. The Economic Alliance of Lewis County, which operates DiscoverLewisCounty.com, contracted with the urban planners to conduct open houses, roundtables and individual meetings and interviews this summer as part of an effort to learn about visitors to the county.
The Monday session was described as a “data dump,” with additional planning and strategy to come down the road. The eventual plan is to develop a comprehensive tourism plan for Lewis County.
Representatives from Arnett Muldrow visited Lewis County and conducted a 20-question survey, which received 376 responses between July 10 and Sept. 5. Of the respondents, 68% lived in the county but did not own or operate a tourism business, compared to 20% of respondents who live in the county and operate such a business. The remaining 12% of respondents were visitors to the county.
The survey asked participants about their visits to the county and current amenities offered, concerns and priorities around tourism, and the improvements needed for the future.
Among tourism operators, a lack of knowledge of Lewis County offerings and a need to increase promotional material topped the list. Tourism business owners and operators also cited a challenge to staff their businesses and a “need to be more welcoming to visitors” among the list of roughly 20 concerns.
For residents, traffic and overcrowding, adequate parking, homelessness and drugs and infrastructure improvements overwhelmingly led the list of concerns. Residents also worry about the loss of a small-town feel and safety and increased taxes, according to the survey. Like the tourism owners and operators, residents say the county needs “to be more welcoming to all types of people.”
A study of data also found that visitors to the county are disproportionately wealthy. Arnett Muldrow divided visitor data into three categories, corresponding to the area of the county: north, west and east. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income for Lewis County residents between 2017 and 2021 was $60,500. In their survey, Arnett Mudrow found that 58% of visitors to west Lewis County have a household income of more than $75,000, compared to 38.1% of county residents whose household makes this much or more.
The slides also outlined the results of a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis.
Strengths for Lewis County included the beauty and ability to access the outdoors, natural resources and proximity to both Seattle and Portland. Weaknesses include poor infrastructure in eastern portions of the county that feel pressured to develop, a housing shortage, a lack of young talent and a perception of the county as a pass-through to other areas.
Opportunities include enhanced accommodation options, clear communication on the role of tourism, community enhancement for visitors and residents, and more entrepreneurial businesses throughout the county. Threats to the county include natural disasters, aging infrastructure, regional growth and change, the housing crunch and an “unwillingness to embrace incremental changes to create more tourism product.”
During a takeaways discussion, Muldrow said Lewis County has a “very engaged community” and “there’s divergent views on some issues but overwhelming congruence on most issues.”
The urban planners identified the region's nature and outdoor recreation as its top asset “by far,” which creates opportunities for outfitters, guides and showcase experiences.
