The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – The Dayton Chamber of Commerce presented results of their recently completed "Tourism in Dayton" survey on Tuesday evening. The event was held at the Liberty Theater.

The Chamber's tourism survey was conducted in the late summer and fall. Questionnaires were given to visitors in town, and sent by email to people who have previously visited Dayton in the past two years. According to Dayton Chamber Director Andrew Holt, more than 1,000 responses were received, including 300 locally and more than 700 online.

To help gather and analyze the survey results, the Chamber hired A.L. Baker Consulting, of Lake Oswego, Ore. The firm provided a detailed report summary to attendees on Tuesday. Financial support for the survey came from Ski Bluewood, Columbia County, Pacific Power and the Port of Columbia, along with major funding from the Chamber.

"The survey was conducted to help us in our efforts to draw more tourists to Dayton," Holt said. "The results will help us not only determine who we should market to, but also how to effectively market to them."

Survey respondents were asked questions in three broad areas:

*Who are Dayton's visitors?

*What was their experience in Dayton?

*How did they hear about Dayton?

Key findings coming out of the survey results included:

*The typical Dayton visitor is a married couple over 50 coming for a small-town experience. Two in five have an annual income of $100,000 or more.

*Overall, sentiment about Dayton is very positive and the potential for future growth of tourism is strong.

*Visitors primarily perceive Dayton as a quaint, friendly and historic town.

*Most are likely to return to Dayton and will recommend it to others, especially those who consider Dayton a destination.

*Visitors like what Dayton has to offer and want more of it – more restaurants, shopping (such as local and artisan crafts), movies, events, etc. The primary frustration visitors express is that some businesses aren't open later or more often.

*Interestingly, some visitors want to see more of the historic side of Dayton, such as a '50s-era festival and more historic elements, while others want to see more modern offerings, such as fine dining, outdoor music events, wine tastings, and an active night life.

*Visitors primarily hear about Dayton by word of mouth and research trips online, especially via the website TripAdvisor.com. Facebook also appears to be a valuable source of information, in particular among more local visitors.

About 22 percent of respondents came from Walla Walla and southeast Washington, plus Lewiston, Ida., but not including Tri-Cities. An additional 18 percent of respondents came from Tri-Cities.

About 15 percent of respondents came from the Puget sound area, and another 15 percent came from western Washington and western Oregon, outside Puget Sound. Eight percent came from the Spokane area.

Visitors came for a variety of reasons, including quick visits, day visits, short overnight visits and extended stays.

Survey responses were gathered by many local businesses. The most local responses were received by the Weinhard Café and the Weinhard hotel. Online responses were solicited through email lists gathered by those two businesses, plus the Best Western Plus Hotel, Ski Bluewood and the Dayton Depot.

"These results will provide solid information in assisting our general marketing efforts, as well as specific local businesses in better serving their visitor customers," Holt said. "We will be able to better understand our strengths and recognize potential growth areas."