If you ask anyone in Solvang how much tourism matters to the community, the answer is likely to be "a lot." The town of roughly 6,200 hosts 1.4 million visitors every year, and hotel bed taxes provide fully half of the city's revenue. Keeping the city a destination in travelers' minds falls to Solvang's marketing division, which has suffered serious losses in recent days.
Solvang's marketing contractor resigned in February — six months into the two-year, $600,000 contract — and the city's marketing manager quit a month later. Then, at the City Council meeting on March 27, three of the five councilmembers suggested the all-volunteer tourism committee be suspended.
Councilmember Elizabeth Orona, who has 35 years of experience in the IT world and is a business owner, responded that suspending the Tourism Advisory Committee "feels like we're cutting both legs off," explaining that the committee brought an expertise that the council did not have.