The EconAlliance fall Tourism Luncheon featured three major Northern Santa Barbara County destination marketing organizations, new museum destinations, and a wine industry speaker. All presenters provided updates on their industries and ideas for improving them. Explore Lompoc, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber and Visitors Bureau, and Visit the Santa Ynez Valley, represented by Gilda Aiello, Michael Boyer, and Shelby Sim, respectively, shared current attraction strategies, and how they plan to enhance them.

Museum speakers James Bier (Santa Ynez Chumash Museum & Cultural Center), and Jim Bray (Planes of Fame) described their museum’s purpose, exhibits, and programs.

Wine industry presenter AJ Fairbanks provided an overview of the current challenges facing vintners: declining wine sales and rising production costs. He cited vineyard acreage contraction, a new collective AVA for identity marketing, and collaboration as strategies to address the issues. Consensus of both presenters and attendees was that Northern Santa Barbara County needed more unity, cross-marketing, and cooperation.