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MCVB Member of the Month

MCVB News

Where to Dine for Thanksgiving

State Parks Update

Did You Know...?

Travel Trends

Happy 40th Birthday to the GoldenGate National Recreation Area

The GGNRA celebrated its 40th birthday atthe Marin Headlands Visitor Center on

October 27th with a hike, cake and specialexhibits! Of the 80,00 acres which

comprises the recreation area, roughly 55percent of that is in Marin County. Points of

special interest are Muir Woods, BolinasRidge, Fort Baker, Fort Cronkhite, KirbyCove, The Headlands, Muir Beach, NikeMissile site, Olema Valley, Point Bonita

Lighthouse, Stinson Beach and TennesseeValley. The GGNRA is one of the largesturban national parks in the world and

rivals Yosemite and the Grand Canyon forannual visitors.

Member of the MonthNovember 2012

Unitarian Universalist Congregationof Marin 

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation ofMarin (UUCM) was founded in January 1950as the Unitarian Fellowship of Marin, and itwasn't until the mid 1960's that a permanentchurch was constructed in its present locationjust north of  San Rafael overlooking MtTamalpais. 

UUCM is a member of the UnitarianUniversalist Association (UUA), anassociation of congregations across theUnited States headquartered in historicdowntown Boston. The congregation is proudto be UUA­recognized as both a WelcomingCongregation and a Green Sanctuary. Theirmembers work together for environmentaland social justice and to provide a caring andwelcoming liberal religious home.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation ofMarin has the perfect hilltop location withpanoramic views suitable for any number ofevents such as weddings, life celebrations,elegant fundraisers or a comfortable, relaxingmeeting or workshop. Indoor facilities arelarge enough to accommodate 200+participants and theater seating for up to 50people. The outdoor grounds include acourtyard with a fountain and fishpond undera grove of mulberry trees that command viewsof the Civic Center, San Pablo Bay and Mt.Tam. Only a three minute drive fromInterstate 101, the facility offers event space

for every purpose at reasonable rates withplenty of parking. If planning an event,schedule a site tour first and view their virtualtour here.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin240 Channing Way, San Rafael, CA 94903415­479­4131www.uumarin.org

Unitarian Universalist Congregation ofMarin has been a member of the MCVB sinceSeptember of 2008

Marin CVB News for November

Marin Has New Banners for Trade Shows!Trade Show Displays are tools for showing a company brand and advertising a

product. They are used in trade shows, conventions, and businessconferences where gatherings occur in many different locations all

across the globe. Some trade shows are huge, with thousands ofexhibitors and tens of thousands of attendees and visitors

wandering the aisles, with the convention lasting for many days.Mark Essman, President of the Marin CVB, had been looking fortrade show banners to represent Marin that would stop a meetingplanner or travel consultant in their tracks - something that would

show Marin County in its best light! Essman began talks withgraphic designer Terry Barker and commissioned him to design the

new banners you see here. As Marin's answer to travel posters ofthe last one hundred years, Barker has attempted to create an

evolution of the travel poster in a unique Marin County style. TerryBarker has done numerous projects in the past for the County of

Marin, creating posters and advertisement for the Marin Arts Festival, the MarinHome and Garden Expo, and other events. See more of his work at www.graphicondesign.com

Don't Miss Out on Restaurant Month in January 2013Marin County Restaurant Month is part of California Restaurant Month,designated by Visit California. Over 30 destinations across California arehosting restaurant weeks and other value-driven food programming thisJanuary. According to Caroline Beteta, Visit California president & CEO, "Californiais the top U.S. destination for culinary travel - we have long been a leaderin fresh produce and seafood, farm to fork dining, winemaking and more

that any traveler will find a one-of-a-kind culinary experience here to suit any taste. CaliforniaRestaurant Month gives visitors a chance to experience it all with special offers they won't see at anyother time of the year."

Last year travelers in California spent $23.1 billion on food and beverages, more than for any otherspending segment and constituting 26 percent of all visitor spending last year (Source: Dean RunyanAssociates), Beteta said. For more information about California Restaurant Month, visit www.visitcalifornia.com. If you havequestions about Marin County Restaurant Month, please visit www.visitMarin.org.

Marin's Tourism Summit 2012Our annual Tourism Summit on September 20, 2012 was a hugesuccess! If you missed it, Mark Essman from the Marin CVBspoke on local trends of visitor traffic as well as what makesMarin different from our regional neighbors; Jonelle Tannahillfrom Visit California discussed the green traveler and presentedtheir lively visual commercial campaign; Ellia Rilla fromUniversity of California, Cooperative Extension Marin Countyfacilitated our feature presentation, "Food for Thought: Exploring Agritourism and our Commitmentto Local Agriculture in Marin", with brief presentations on insight, tips, and how to get involvedfrom the following speakers: Ginny Cummings from Drakes Bay Oysters, Brigitte Moran fromAgricultural Institute of Marin, Dena Grunt from Nick's Cove, Jill Giacomini Basch from The Fork atPoint Reyes, and Vivien Straus from Straus Home Ranch, Cowgirl Creamery, and Sonoma MarinCheese Trail Map. As attendees enjoyed a wonderful buffet lunch provided by Inn Marin and Rickey'sRestaurant in their outdoor courtyard, co-owner Robert Marshall gave his "Green Guru"presentation.Thank you to Cowgirl Creamery & Cantina, Marin French Cheese Company, Point Reyes FarmsteadCheese Company & The Fork at Point Reyes, Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, and Northgate fortheir generous donations to the agritourism quiz and cheese platter!

IMEX America, Las VegasOnce again the Marin CVB attended IMEX America in LasVegas. The show welcomed exhibitors from across the worldincluding convention and visitor bureaus, national, andregional tourist offices, major hotel groups, airlines, destinationmanagement companies, trade associations and more.IMEX America is America's worldwide exhibition for incentivetravel, meetings and events. The show runs the largest hostedbuyer program ever held in North America with over 2,400

qualified buyers.

Electric Charging Stations in Marin!The Marin CVB is learning about EV charging stations and recentlystarted dialogue with the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM)on providing the best resources for Marin hotels interested ininstalling EV charging stations. If you are a Marin lodging propertyand are interested in learning more about EV charging stations,please contact Gina Marr at gina@visitMarin.org

 What are your Plans for Thanksgiving?

Where to Dine in Marin for a Dinner of  ThanksRickey's Restaurant and Bar: Executive chef Kenneth Drew has Thanksgiving dinner preparedfor you from 2:00pm to 7:00pm. The three-course Thanksgiving menu choices include such thingsas a Rotiserrie Turkey ($34.95 per person) or Smoked Prime Rib of Beef ($37.50), all with soup orsalad, and pumpkin or apple pie. The full dinner menu will also be available. Make your dinnerreservation in advance to guarantee a seat. Location: 250 Entrada Drive in Novato at the Inn MarinContact: www.rickeysrestaurant.com or call 415.883.5952

Farm House Restaurant: Have a real Thanksgiving Feast in beautiful Olema with a SustainableThanksgiving Supper served from 11:30am to 6:00pm. View menu and pricing online and to makedinner reservations.Location: 10021 Coastal Highway One in Olema at the Point Reyes Seashore LodgeContact: www.pointreyesseashore.com or call 415.663.1264

Embassy Suites Hotel: A full course dinner will be served from Noon to 4:00pm.Tickets: $38.95 per person, children 12 years and younger are $29.25Location: 101 McInnis Parkway in San RafaelContact: www.sanrafael.embassysuites.com or call 415.499.5950

Mountain Home Inn: A full three course Thanksgiving Dinner will be served from 11:30am to6:30pm. Make your reservation in advance to guarantee a seat with a Mt Tam view. Location: 810 Panoramic Highway in Mill ValleyContact: www.mtnhomeinn.com or call 415.381.9000

Four Points Sheraton Hotel: Thanksgiving Dinner will be a Set Menu, and Plated Dinner. Checkthe website for times and menu items.Location: 1010 Northgate Drive in San RafaelContact: www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/sanrafael or call 415.479.8800

The Dance Palace: Join the annual celebration of Thanksgiving in West Marin, co-sponsored bythe Dance Palace and the West Marin Community Resource Center. Over 100 volunteers have helpedwith the cooking, serving, and decorations for this wonderful community celebration. This is a greatway to get involved in the community and to celebrate what you are thankful for this year. Dinnerbegins at 1:00pm.Location: 503 B Street in Point Reyes StationContact: www.dancepalace.org or call 415.663.1075

Marin State Parks Update 

Good news for Marin residents and visitors! Gov. Jerry Brown has established a two-year moratoriumon all California park closures, and will be providing about $30 million in funding to give thedepartment that manages California's 278 state parks new fundraising tools. The following is a briefexplanation of how the parks are now to be managed and what the adjusted hours of operations will bethrough the year.

Muir Woods National MonumentThe Muir Woods entrance fee is now $7.00 in order to help fund both Tomales Bayand Samuel P. Taylor State Parks. All existing Point Reyes National Seashore staffwill be providing maintenance support as well as law enforcement for the TomalesBay State Park. The fee increase is in collaboration between the CaliforniaDepartment of Parks and Recreation and the National Park Service to keep

California State Parks near Muir Woods such as Samuel P. Taylor and Mt. Tamalpais open and tosupport projects that are beneficial to both federal and state park lands near Muir Woods. "MuirWoods, Golden Gate, and Mt. Tamalpais State Park are inextricably linked in the complex watershed ofRedwood Creek," Golden Gate National Recreation Area General Superintendent Frank Dean remarked.

Tomales Bay State ParkBeginning July 1, the National Park Service began managing Tomales Bay StatePark for a one year period. Tomales Bay State Park is now open Friday throughMonday all year, and closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday due to the budgetcuts and service reductions. This mid-week closure is likely to continue until summerof 2013. The park will no longer accept cash payments for day use, and visitorsshould still expect to pay the regular day use fee to California State Parks. Visitors should also plan tobring a Visa, Mastercard, or debit card to pay for parking at Heart's Desire Beach and Picnic Area.Those without a credit card can stop by Samuel P. Taylor State Park on their way to Heart's DesireBeach to purchase a day use ticket with cash.

Samuel P.Taylor State ParkSamuel P. Taylor State Park will be open five days per week - Thursday throughMonday all year. Visit the park's newly constructed Madrone Cabins - situated at theMadrone group camp area, set at the bottom of the grassy hills of Mount Barnabe.Each 12 x 20 square foot cabin has electric outlets, lighting, wood flooring, a covered

porch and 4 platform bunk beds with camp style mattresses. Outside each cabin is a small picnic table,fire ring, B&B grill and water spigot. Two of the cabins are wheelchair accessible. During wintermonths, Coho salmon and steelhead trout migrate up Lagunitas Creek to spawn. The park offers AT&TWi-Fi Service for all visitors interested in researching while they learn of their surrondings. Samuel P.Taylor State Park is named for Samuel Penfield Taylor, who came to California from Saugerties, NewYork in 1849 to try his luck in the gold rush. He actually found gold, cashed in, and entered the lumberbusiness. Taylor built a resort hotel and Camp Taylor, one of the first sites in the US to offer camping asa recreational pursuit. The area was one of California's most popular and well-known weekendrecreation destinations in the 1870s-80s.

China Camp State ParkIt is now official! Friends of China Camp is the operator of China Camp State Park,in partnership with the California State Parks. The organization's aim is to not onlyoperate the park, but to expand and improve the services and programs for visitors.The Back Ranch Meadows Campground is now back on the ReserveAmerica reservation system and isopen seven days a week at $35.00 per night. The picnic sites at Buckeye and Weber Points have beenreopened and are available for reservations for special events. They still need the support of thecommunity to continue raising money for park operations.

Olompali State Historic ParkSince February 2012, Olompali State Park has been open only on weekends, a servicereduction mandated by the California State Parks Department. Olompali also wasone of 70 parks scheduled to close due to budget cutbacks. The Olompali People

(TOP), a committee of the Marin State Parks Association, is relying on a contingency of volunteers tokeep the park running on weekends. As for park management, the TOP would like to hire a ranger toserve as the "eyes and ears" of the park. In the meantime, Olompali State Historic Park is currently openSaturdays and Sundays only - from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Did You Know...?

California has an Official State Marine Reptile As of last month, the State of California elected the Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle. The turtle is theworld's largest living reptile, growing to 2,000 pounds and more than six feet in length. The seaturtle migrates thousands of miles across the ocean to feed on California's coastal jellyfish.

Marin's Unemployment Rate Remains Lowest Marin jobs and growth, January 2001to December 2011 is such that MarinCounty retained its top spot in thestate of California for the lowest

unemployment rate at 5.8 percent. The 2012 industry-employment figures are not yet available for Marin.

Weird Marin Fact: In the midst of summer, PointReyes is the coolest place in the Continental UnitedStates.

Travel Trends

Travel Outpacing Other Sectors of the EconomyThe latest federal employment figures indicate that job growth in the U.S. travel industry is outpacingthe rest of the country's economic recovery, according to the U.S. Travel Association . LaborDepartment data reveal that overall, the industry has been responsible for better than 7% of theeconomy's total job growth since early 2010.

Earlier this month, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest jobs figures, whichshowed a slight uptick in employment in July and an essentially unchanged unemployment rate of8.3%. Total U.S. non-farm payroll employment rose by 163,000 in July, with 9,200 of those jobscoming from the travel sector, accounting for 6% of all U.S. job growth last month, according to U.S.Travel, which analyzed the Labor Department data.

"The travel industry continues to be one of the prime drivers of the nation's economy," David Huether,senior vice president of economics and research at U.S. Travel, said in a statement. The 9,200 jobsadded to the travel industry in July marked the largest increase the sector has seen in four months. Atotal of 63,700 jobs were added to the U.S. travel industry, or an average of 9,100 jobs per month,since January of this year. Job growth in travel was mainly driven by increases in the restaurant andlodging sectors, according to U.S. Travel.

The domestic travel industry now directly employs 7.6 million people, U.S. Travel reported. "Since theemployment recovery began, travel has created nearly 287,300 new jobs, contributing 7.2% of overalljob growth since early 2010," Huether said. "The travel industry's job growth continues to outpace thegrowth of the rest of the economy in employment recovery."

U.S. Travel has long lobbied the government to pay greater attention to the U.S. travel industry andthe contributions it makes to the nation's economy. That argument is increasingly resonating inWashington with legislation such as the Travel Promotion Act, which became law in 2010. Positive jobs figures such as these further bolster the cause for federal support of the travel industry ata time when bipartisan politics heading into this year's presidential elections could threaten some of

the headway the industry has made. For example, Brand USA , thepublic-private entity established by the Travel Promotion Act as ameans to promote inbound travel to the U.S., recently came underfire from Republican lawmakers who challenged its spending andfunding. As it turned out, none of the spending they were criticizinghad been paid for by taxpayers. For the first time in history, thefederal government is helping to fund the promotion of the U.S. as adestination, matching industry contributions to Brand USA on a 2-for-1 basis up to $100 million in2012.

Last month, U.S. Travel reported that travel exports increased 12% for the first five months of 2012compared with 2011, double the 6% increase seen in exports overall. Numbers such as theseunderscore "the need to enact legislation, such as the JOLT Act, to increase international travel to theUnited States," Huether said in last month's release. JOLT is an acronym for the Jobs OriginatedThrough Launching Travel Act , which would streamline the visa process, expand the Visa WaiverProgram and ease entry into the U.S., a process that Huether argued "wll create much-neededAmerican jobs and contribute billions to the U.S. economy." By Michelle Baran for Travel Weekly ­ follow her on Twitter @mbtravelweekly

Marin Convention & Visitors Bureau ¦ 1 Mitchell Blvd., Ste B San Rafael, CA 94903 ¦ www.visitmarin.org

This email was sent to: deborah@visitmarin.org

This email was sent by: Marin Convention & Visitors Bureau1 Mitchell Blvd Suite B San Rafael, California 94903 United States

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