Tourism plays key role in economic development

Whatever else it aspires to be, Sisters is fundamentally a tourist town.

Increasingly, there is interest in leveraging quality of life to attract businesses that pay family wages and can build a more diverse economy. Erin Borla, executive director of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, believes that effort is dependent on tourism to bring people to the region for the Sisters Country experience.

"Tourism is how we sell Sisters," Borla says. "Unfortunately, we can't compete just drawing on a map and saying, 'Where am I going to locate my business.'"

The chamber is on the front lines of the effort to drive tourism to Sisters.

"We are marketing the heck out of this community," Borla said.

It's not just a matter of advertising; Borla courts attention from travel and lifestyle publications.

"If you see an article in Sunset, it didn't just pop up," she said. "A lot of work goes in (to that). It's not just happenstance."

Travel writers get the red-carpet treatment, with the chamber rolling out every aspect of Sisters Country to "showcase quality of life."

Borla says that the chamber's budget for marketing and other "convention and visitors' bureau-type work" is $115,000. Most of the funding (about $90,000 this fiscal year) comes from the chamber's share of city-collected transient room taxes, collected with each room booked in a lodging establishment. Such pass-throughs are required by state law to promote tourism.

Sisters receives 33 percent of the taxes collected. That's the highest percentage in the region (Bend gets 25 percent), but, as Borla notes, "33 percent of a small pool is not a lot of cash."

Budget is supplemented through membership dues and proceeds from special events. Borla seeks to stretch dollars through co-op advertising.

The chamber has seen success in drawing people into Sisters. Room-tax collections indicate that the number of visitors has increased over the past four years, despite a tough economy. Getting those visitors out into the downtown area with open wallets is a separate challenge.

The Chamber Visitors' Center tries to match visitors' needs and interests with stores and service providers that can help them.

"We send people all over town - and (the businesses) don't have to be a member," she said. "We're going to try to do service to the visitor first, so they can have the best experience they possibly can."

Shopkeepers must be proactive about getting visitors into their stores and giving them a good experience, Borla believes. That's the key to success - or simple survival - in the retail climate of downtown Sisters.

"You're in charge of your own fate," Borla said.

Her assessment is that shopping behavior has changed since the advent of the Great Recession. People are more focused on an experience than on simply buying "stuff." Those who cater to an experience or create a meaningful connection with customers have the best shot at thriving.

"I think people are shopping more with their heart now than their wallet," Borla said.

The City of Sisters is still trying to work out the scope of work for an economic development manager - and whether that person should continue reporting to the city council. Borla believes the position should not be under the auspices of a municipal body, not least because of the confidentiality issues that confront businesses dealing with a government entity.

"I think it needs to come out of the city," she said.

The chamber does not necessarily have to focus solely on tourism promotion, Borla noted. Some in the city want to bend effort toward targeted recruiting of light manufacturing businesses, software or engineering firms and the like.

"I think we can do both; there's a place for both," Borla said. "If we can free up some additional money, we can improve business recruitment along with tourism."

But in an environment of limited resources, the chamber will continue to focus on tourism as economic development. Because, Borla argues, every meal eaten in a Sisters restaurant, every night's stay, every tank of gas and every item purchased in a downtown shop enhances the vitality of the community and the quality of life that "sells Sisters."