BINGE TOURISM

Tourism / September 11, 2019
Just in case you have not noticed, the tourism board, wine association and Farm Bureau are now at the local Santa Rosa airport. We are in a rush to get even more tourists and consequentially lose even more housing to vacation rentals, more infrastructure destruction, and the plethora of other maladies for the residents and environment. This juggernaut must stop now until a full environmental impact report on cumulative impacts is conducted county wide to access this threat to our quality of life. Don’t kill the golden goose!
United Airlines

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6705792-181/sonoma-county-airport-poised-to?artslide=0

Todays:
The seasonal offering will run for 15 weeks, from Aug. 24 to Dec. 3, allowing visitors to take in the fall grape harvest as well as wine, beer, film and art festivals. Flights aboard the 146-seat Boeing 737 jets will depart Minneapolis on Thursdays and depart Santa Rosa on Sundays. 
 

Sun Country is the latest airline to come to Santa Rosa. United Airlines last month announced it is beginning nonstop daily service to San Francisco in June, while Alaska, Allegiant and American Airlines offer flights to the West Coast hubs of Las Vegas and Phoenix. It’s the largest number of commercial airlines ever to offer service to Santa Rosa.

“It shows we have a market that the airlines are starting to recognize,” Stout said.

“However, a lack of space means Sun Country will be the last new carrier allowed in Sonoma County until a major airport expansion is complete in the summer of 2019. …”

Update:

Jean Davis’ recent letter to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat exemplifies how local residents feel about tourism-related expansion:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/opinion/6745547-181/fridays-letters-to-the-editor

Tourist impacts

EDITOR: Regarding Shirley Liberman’s letter about the heavy traffic on Highway 12 (“Becoming Napa,” March 2), having lived in Sonoma County since 1980, I used to say I’d prefer to be Napa-fied than Marin-ated. But now I think I’d rather be neither of those options.

Enough is enough. Tourism (including alcohol-, food-, bicycle-, gambling- and, soon, marijuana-related) is an important part of our local economy, but we need to make sure the impacts of these industries don’t destroy what we love about living here — our county’s natural beauty of hills, pastures, trees, rocks and waterways.

JEAN M. DAVIS