MISSION

Through the identification and quantification of data, the main objectives of the Sonoma County Observatory for Sustainable Tourism is to monitor, report on and improve the sustainability of tourism in the Sonoma County destination area to create high value information to allow the many examples of best practices being pursued in Sonoma County to be replicated in the destination area and elsewhere in the UNWTO network.

CURRENT MONITORING PROCESSES

Tourism is presently monitored by multiple agencies of county and state government in California, including the Sonoma County Economic Development Commission (EDC), and the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau. Sustainability is monitored by the County’s Planning Resource and Development Department (PRMD) and by independent organizations including Sonoma Ecology Center and Sustainable Sonoma. The Observatory is integrating data from these sources into a single monitoring and reporting system.

KEY MONITORING AREAS

Impacts of agricultural-tourism growth in an environmentally sensitive rural area
Loss of funding for tourism and historical destinations
Water scarcity in a drought-prone area
Impacts of the sharing economy
Climate-change responsiveness and resilience
Employment and local living opportunities across cultures

DID YOU KNOW...

Sonoma County is one of the largest counties in the nine-county San Francisco metropolitan area. It is largely agricultural, with 447 wineries, miles of rugged and scenic pacific coast line and towering redwood forest. As an established tourist destination, Sonoma County produces the largest amount of travel related spending in the San Francisco Bay Area and has been a significant pioneer in support of sustainability through its policies and action programmes.