Sonoma County tourism revives after wildfires

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Greg Guerrazzi wants North Bay tourists to take a hike that could lead them to past beaches, redwoods and wineries, with putting up each night at upscale inns and hotels.

 
Through his family-owned Wine Country Trekking, Guerrazzi offers “European style” walking and running adventures around the region to iconic vistas like Muir Woods, Jack London State Historic Park, the Napa Valley and soon Bodega Bay. For these self-guided trips, he shuttles tourists’ luggage to the next accommodation, arranges breakfasts and lunches and provides detailed itineraries and maps with photos of those spots where one might wonder which fork to take in the trail.

 
His clientele is large from honeymooners, baby boomers to the younger generation explorers.

 
Tourism was among the first segments of the county’s economy to revive after the recession. The lodging industry especially has enjoyed eight years of growth, often amounting to double- digit gains from years before.

 
Over the past decade, the hospitality sector has benefited from a range of new offerings that attract significant crowds to the area. The travel sector contributed nearly $2.1 billion to the county’s economy last year, marking an increase of 2.3 percent from a year earlier, according to Sonoma County Tourism.

 
The October wildfires had different impacts on different parts of the hospitality sector. However, the county tourism started showing signs of recovery soon thereafter.

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