Tourism making a slow rebound, Chamber says

Tourism in Grafton has still not reached pre-pandemic levels but a recent report from the Grafton Chamber of Commerce indicates it is on the uptick as chamber staff work to adjust operations with ever-changing factors.

Chamber of Commerce Director Pam King presented the 2021 Tourism Promotion and Development Annual Report and 2022 Action Plan to the Village Board on Jan. 17.

“Clearly 2021 was better than 2020 but still not anywhere near where we’d like to be relative to tourism promotion, tourism activity, visitors to our community — we’re not there yet,” she said.

King noted that while tourism figures are still low, hotels are beginning to see more business and tourism overall is moving in the right direction.

With the chamber relying on room tax revenue for events and programs, the pandemic hotel slump did limit what the chamber could coordinate in recent years.

“We went from anticipating $300,000 in room tax to receiving barely $75,000,” King said, noting that the revenue was mostly used to cover operating expenses.

In 2021 the chamber budgeted to receive about $270,000 in room taxes but received about $200,000.

Despite challenges, King said the chamber saw success in a number of initiatives last year.

Two initiatives that kept Grafton on the map include walking tours highlighting breweries, blues history, nature and downtown Grafton and social media campaigns like the Home Decorating Contest, which encouraged residents to vote for homes with the best Christmas decorations online. The campaign reached more than 4,500 people and received nearly 1,000 votes and comments.

The chamber was also able to help host normal events like the Christmas Parade and Celebrate Grafton events.

 While not assisting in room tax, King said the Interurban Trail saw increased popularity through the pandemic and drew visitors to Grafton.

Trustee Dan Delorit said despite challenges caused by the pandemic that the chamber has done great work to keep Grafton in mind as a tourism destination.

“You and your team have done such a great job for our community keeping us on the map in a difficult time,” he said.

King said as things move closer to pre-pandemic levels, it is important the chamber is ready for a revitalized tourism.

One goal the chamber hopes to accomplish in 2022 is reorganizing the Tourism Development and Promotion Committee, which took a hiatus during the pandemic.

She said the committee needs to figure out how to move forward with festivals, if festivals should be expanded, what role stakeholders play in them and what infrastructure is needed to host them.

King said the chamber also wants to continue plans to redevelop the Grafton Blues Marker site to showcase the village’s blues history and provide access to the Milwaukee River.

The chamber applied for a Tourism Capitol Grant to fund the project but has not received confirmation of receipt.

Whether or not the grant is successful though, King said a strategy needs to be developed to move forward with the project.

King said the chamber also plans on combining the vacant Celebrate Grafton President part-time position with another Ozaukee County Tourism Council position to create a full-time job she expects will be more appealing to candidates.

King said since the Celebrate Grafton position was left empty, it has been difficult to find a replacement. She said the position requires workers to attend some weekend events, making it difficult for candidates with other part-time jobs, like those in food service hospitality, to qualify. King said she anticipates there being more interest in the position when it changes to a full-time job.

“We do believe that’s really going to give us what we need to get people on board,” King said. “I’m very excited about merging those two things in an effort to get us a quality candidate.”

With Miklwaukee in the running to host the 2024 Republican National Convention in 2024, King said the area may see an influx in tourism.

“That will be a great goal for us to strive for,” she said.