Thursday, October 1, 2026
CHELAN COUNTY — Chelan County’s board of county commissioners has enlisted BERK Consulting to conduct a comprehensive study on the multifaceted impacts of tourism. This study aims to provide recommendations for maximizing tourism's positive contributions while minimizing its drawbacks.
BERK Consulting's research encompasses tourism's effects on:
To gather diverse perspectives, BERK Consulting has already interviewed key community stakeholders; held stakeholder meetings in Chelan, Leavenworth, and Wenatchee; and collected initial research to inform their impact analysis.
These efforts have been guided by a dedicated steering committee comprised of Jerri Barkley of Visit Chelan County, Ron Cridlebaugh of Chelan County, Steve Maher from Our Valley Our Future, Taylor Boyd of the Bavarian Lodge, Mayor Carl Florea of Leavenworth, Paula Mikkelsen of Chelan County, Eric Campbell of Campbell's Resort in Chelan, Erin McCardle from the City of Chelan and Ashley Sinner from the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce
But information from “stakeholders” is not enough input for decisions that affect the entire community. Those in charge of making decisions, as always, need feedback from you as a resident of the area. As with so many other planning projects, community input is a crucial component of making decisions that benefit everyone when it comes to what the county prioritizes
Chelan County residents and business owners are encouraged to share their experiences and perceptions of tourism by completing a brief online survey. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and the questions are wide-ranging, with fields you can fill out with extensive comments if you like. Unlike some other surveys, you’ll find “other” boxes you can check and put in your own suggestions in some areas.
For additional information, please visit the Chelan County Tourism Impact Project webpage.
Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media
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