The mission of the Okanogan County Tourism Council is to bring together the many individual tourism promotion efforts to achieve greater focus, effectiveness and economy in promoting tourism for all of Okanogan County.
The Council is supported financially through individual and group memberships and through lodging tax revenues allotted by individual cities and Okanogan County.

What's been done so far
Your volunteer Tourism Council has worked very hard over the past year to further develop tourism in Okanogan County. A few of the accomplishments for 2006 include:

• Advertising -- The Okanogan County Tourism’s Board & Marketing Committee continued its aggressive advertising campaign. Specific ads were placed in publications for special groups. Included were the Mountaineer’s, NW Horse Source, Outdoors NW, Washington Snowmobile Association, NW Fly Fishing, Washington Trails Association, Sno Flyer, and Cross Country Skier, Ski Trax, Master Skier, and the Spokesman Review. More general ads were placed in Sunset Magazine, the Washington State Visitor’s Guide, the Oregonian Travel Pages, The tag line for advertising continues to be “Okanogan Country… Your Adventure – Your Way”.
  
• Travel Guide publication advertising included ads placed in the Cascade Loop Travel Guide, Okanogan Country Vacationland, Methow Valley News Recreation Guide, the Canadian RV Times, Grand Coulee Dam Visitors Guide, and the Okanogan Valley Recreation Guide, the Chronicle’s Info Book, and the Omak Stampede Program.
  
• The Tourism Council continued to provide a free listing for each lodging establishment, campground, and RV Park in the Okanogan Country Vacationland and on its web site. The Vacationland is used as the Council’s major fulfillment piece, mailed to those requesting it and is used as a handout at trade shows.
  
• In addition to more standard advertising, the Tourism Council has placed 2 billboards to greet visitors to our area, one in Oroville and another in Pateros. These are intended to welcome visitors to our area, and help promote brand recognition as well.
  
• Agri-Tourism -- OCTC has actively worked to promote ag-tourism in Okanogan Country. The Crop Identification Sign Project is continuing. “Crop signs” appear along major arterials throughout Okanogan County. The Okanogan Grown and Okanogan Organic Grown Logos have been used in publications and are available for use by growers on their “Okanogan Grown/Made” products. Contact OCTC for information. OCTC contributed funds to the Okanogan Marketing Producers Association to create banners for use at the Farmers Market in De Moines. The Association also uses the “Okanogan Grown” log on product labels.
  
• The fourth printing of the Okanogan Grown Agricultural Guide was also completed this year. This is a guide to Okanogan Country’s vegetables, fruits, herbs, poultry, dairy, and meat products, as well as fruit stands, farm tours, wineries, breweries, and local growers and producers. The guide is distributed throughout Okanogan Country and Washington State. There have also been numerous requests for the guide through the web site request form. OCTC paid for a full-page ad for all the Okanogan County Farmer’s Markets on the back page of the publication.
  
• Website – OCTC web site is maintained by website designer Earth & Sky Studios. The site is updated on a regular basis. The countless adventures in Okanogan Country are depicted with information on where to go, what to do, and where to stay. The “calendar of events” is continually updated with information on events across the county. Web site hits in 2005 averaged 4,134 per month, this has grown to an average of 6,993 per month so far in 2006.
  
• The On-line Travel Planner – As an incentive for membership, the Okanogan County Tourism Council introduced the On Line Travel Planner in 2003. This tool has become very popular and visitors to the OCTC’s web site are able to request information on a wide variety of topics, such as horseback riding or weddings. Members who have filled out the travel planner form and have checked horseback riding or weddings will receive an email from OCTC with the visitors mailing information. This gives OCTC members a targeted marketing opportunity, allowing them to directly contact individuals who are planning to visit Okanogan County. This is a real benefit for members and a great way for visitors to get the best information.
  
• The Interactive Flash Map – OCTC’s popular Interactive Flash Maps are now completely updated, showcasing the Winter Activities Guide, Camping & Fishing Guide, Summer Activities Guide, and the Highland Historic Loop Drive. All the information from each of these guides is integrated into highly interactive maps. Users can manipulate the maps, showing or hiding topographical layers, lakes and rivers, roads and towns, and more. A magnifying glass tool allows users to zoom into the map, and the entire interface and all locations are printable. This has become one of our most popular online features and statistics show a steady stream of visitors.
  
• Trade Shows -- OCTC volunteers set up and staffed displays at the Snowmobile Expo, the Evergreen Sportsman Show in Monroe, The NW Women’s Show in Seattle and the Snow Sports Expo in Seattle, and the Travel & Tourism Expo in Spokane. OCTC also displayed at the Okanogan County Fair. OCTC purchased an extra 10,000 Okanogan Country Vacationlands to use at these trade shows in conjunction with our new guides. The Council continues to upgrade the photo boards that are used in the booth and to look for new and innovative way to show the best of “Okanogan Country”.
  
• Public Relations -- OCTC’s Public Relations program responded to state generated requests and sent out press releases to major news media featuring various events in Okanogan Country. Public awareness of Okanogan Country is steadily growing and many articles have been written about areas in Okanogan Country by such publications as Sunset, the Spokesman Review, and Seattle Times/PI.
  
• Photo Library – The Council continues to expand its photo library for marketing the county. The photos are used for advertising, the web site, product development, and in meetings to promote Okanogan Country. OCTC is always looking for additional pictures. Businesses or individuals with special photos should contact OCTC.
  
• State & Regional Tourism Coordination -- Volunteers from OCTC have been actively involved with other tourism organizations such as Washington State Tourism, Okanogan Trails Scenic Byway, and Via ‘97. OCTC representatives worked with the state regarding the name of the region that Okanogan County is group with in the state guide