The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce was one of multiple organizations promoting tourism around the region to be awarded a new year of funding during the December 5 Whatcom County Council meeting.
The Birch Bay Visitor Center, located at 4819 Alderson Road, will receive $136,000 to fund payroll and operations for 2024, approved by unanimous consent by council. Funding comes from the county’s lodging tax and tourism promotion grant fund.
Danielle Gaughen, executive director of Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, said the funding will go toward payroll for three part-time employees, administrative needs such as rent and utilities, and promotional materials.
The visitor center has welcomed 1,700 people to Birch Bay so far in 2023, and annual events put on by the chamber hosted over 17,000 people throughout the year. Birch Bay saw an uptick in travelers returning for vacations since the U.S./Canadian border reopened after the pandemic closures.
“2023 provided what felt like a ‘return to normal’ as far as summer tourism and our dual-owners are concerned,” Gaughen wrote to The Northern Light. “We were thrilled to welcome back some regular visitors we hadn’t seen in years.”
The chamber reported a 44 percent increase in visitors to the information center from 2022 to 2023, and a 17.5 percent increase in visitors to various chamber events compared to 2022.
The Mount Baker Foothills Visitor Center, Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, Northwest Tune-Up, Port of Bellingham, and Sustainable Connections were all granted funding from the lodging tax fund ranging from $40,000 to $200,000 to promote tourism across the county.
The Birch Bay chamber will host its annual Ring of Fire and Hope at 7 p.m. Sunday, December 31 along the beach and Polar Bear Plunge at noon Monday, January 1, 2024 across from Beach Cat Brewing Co. at 7876 Birch Bay Drive. To pre-register for the icy dip, visit bit.ly/3t5W9t3.
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