2023 Lewis County Tourism Summit

The 2023 Lewis County Tourism Summit was held at the Mayfield Lake Resort and Marina on January 18th. The Economic Alliance of Lewis County was awarded the contract for Discover Lewis County from Lewis County in late 2022. The Alliance’s mission is to combine its knowledge with involvement from industry stakeholders and professionals, to promote Lewis County tourism with a unified voice. The Lewis County Tourism Summit was the one step towards this mission.

Many stakeholders attended the Summit including but limited to representatives from local businesses and agencies such as Elkamp in Mineral, Mill Town Smokehouse and Bowling Alley in Morton, Longmire Brewery in Packwood, White Pass Scenic Byway, Cowlitz Basin ORV, and many others. Each gave a brief introduction about their business or agency and spoke about their interests in tourism. The group then split into 5 smaller groups to have round-table discussions regarding tourism in Lewis County. The discussions mainly focused on how tourism can benefit Lewis County, such as having a positive financial impact on businesses and in-turn resources, and how to encourage tourism.

Although, there are many benefits and positives brought to our beautiful county through tourism, it was noted that there can be some negative impacts that need to be addressed such as the impacts on long-term housing, Additionally, agrotourism was mentioned. We often think of tourism in Lewis County being defined by outdoor enthusiasts visiting the forest and mountains. However, there is an untapped potential here in East Lewis County for agrotourism, including farm visits, camping, horticulture, and more.

Todd Chaput, the Economic Alliance of Lewis County Program Manager, closed by stating the Alliance along with others will work on developing a strategic plan to boost Lewis County’s tourism economy utilizing ideas from the summit.