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3| Impact
<br />Response 2.1: Why would tourists travel to Kittitas County to attend your event/activity/facility?*
<br />The Kittitas County Historical Museum collects, preserves, and share the history of Kittitas County – from time immemorial to
<br />present day. This includes all the people, places, events, and activities that have made our communities what they are today,
<br />and to share this with anyone interested in that history.
<br />Guests come to the Museum to learn more about the communities they are in, the buildings nearby, events and activities, and
<br />their family members that may have once lived here (or still live here). They want to know anything and everything – and with
<br />50+ exhibits, we definitely have something for everyone.
<br />Advertising in the Seattle/Tacoma, Portland (OR), and Eastern Washington areas, we will draw travelers to and through
<br />Ellensburg and Kittitas County. We currently know that the majority of our visitors are from 50+ miles, and based on our
<br />guestbook log, this marketing will target the dominant visitation markets. Over the past few years, we have averaged 60-65%
<br />from 50+ miles, and this year stands to fall within that same trend.
<br />Our social media demographics also reflect interest in the Museum (by likes and follows) from persons 50+ miles away,
<br />including Portland (OR), and the major Washington cities of Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Kennewick, Vancouver, and Moses
<br />Lake.
<br />We anticipated based on our current attendance numbers that visitation and overnight stays will increase in 2025 due to
<br />advertising and our events, activities, and programming. We have already had several guests from out of area stay overnight to
<br />participate in our History Pub Crawl, or they came to the Museum as their intended destination for research purposes and
<br />stayed overnight as a result. We expect that as our activities increase, visitation and overnight stays will increase as well. We
<br />partner with Hotel Windrow for our annual lecture series, and encourage visitors to make this their hotel choice; but we also work
<br />with the TownePlace Suites by Marriott as they have chosen the Ellensburg Blue Agate as their theme and design based on
<br />items out of our collection. We plan to continue working with both hotels for upcoming events to encourage more overnight
<br />stays, as guests have indicated that multiple events and venues on certain weekends justify an overnight stay. Many of these
<br />events will add to existing events or create opportunities to extend stays in Ellensburg and the Kittitas County area.
<br />2500 character limit
<br />Response 2.2: Describe the prior success of your event/activity/facility to attract tourists.*
<br />In a recent assessment of our guestbook log, we found that in 2023, 60% of those who visited the museum were from areas
<br />more than 50 miles away, which totaled 4,559 of 7,650 visitors. As of August 31, 2024, there have been 5,370 visitors based on
<br />direct count. This is an increase of 10% in attendance over a year to date, which can be based on a return from our marketing,
<br />exhibits, programming, and events. Of our visitors , only 1,089 visitors (or 20%) have signed our guestbook log, which often
<br />represent a group or family unit (one for multiple visitors, aggregating the number). Of these, 676 (or 62%) were from more than
<br />50 miles, while the remainder (38%) were from more local distances. When we inquired (either in-person or through our
<br />guestbook log), about 25% of the visitors from 50+ miles indicated that they were staying overnight in the community, as they
<br />heard about our Museum from a local hotel or RV Park. Of the 5,370 people who have visited the Museum, 3,808 (71%)
<br />attended for exhibit or general purpose, while 937 (17%) attended programs, events, or guided walking tours.
<br />Most visitors to our Museum have inquired about other activities in and around Ellensburg and Kittitas County, such as food,
<br />shopping, educational offerings, other museums and historical sites.
<br />Our social media pages reflect interest and visitation from individuals from 50+ miles, including Portland (OR) and the major
<br />Washington of Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Kennewick, Vancouver, and Moses Lake. Many visitors who also come into the
<br />Museum indicate in the guestbook that they heard about the Museum via the web and online advertising. Guests who attend our
<br />tours and events fill out surveys, and have indicated they have travelled from as far as Yorba Linda (CA), Portland (OR), Auburn,
<br />Snohomish, Chattaroy, Stehekin, & Moses Lake, to attend our lectures, History Pub Crawl, and more.
<br />As we are an add-on to many experiences, we have found that while we do not directly generate a high number of stays, we add
<br />to the stay & most will stay an extra night to take part of an event.
<br />2500 character limit
<br />Application Questions: Part 2
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