Let's Talk Tourism

Visitors support most of the businesses in West Marin and thereby keep a lot of people employed. But many of those workers cannot afford to live in a place that has become a tourist mecca. In some areas, visitor rentals outnumber homes. AirBnB and VRBO help property owners pay their expenses, but also hollow out communities. In 2013, tourism-related State and County tax revenue from Marin County as a whole was $65 million.

The value of tourism is a given, but are we reaching the point at which resident’s lives are negatively impacted to such a degree that some kind of limiting measures must be taken? Are noise and air pollution and overpriced housing just the price we must pay for a booming tourist economy?

We’ve seen traffic jams on weekends as some of the 2.5 million annual Seashore visitors come and go. Weekend cyclists and motorists, biking tours, car rallies and the motorbike “Sunday Ride” increase revenues wherever they stop but disrupt residents’ lives. Do we need major infrastructure improvements, such as more toilets or a pedestrian-only Main Street in Point Reyes Station, or more turnouts on Highway One?

Call in to Let’s Talk between 11 a.m. and noon on 415-663-8492 and give us your thoughts. Your voice matters!