SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Thousands of eyes would see it. But it's going to cost thousands of dollars, all in the name of tourism. The SLO County Board of Supervisors is set to discuss the approval of taking out an advertisement in an airline magazine.
San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement District is requesting that the county's Board of Supervisors approve a 23-page advertisement spread in U.S. Airways Magazine at tomorrow's meeting. Advertisements in the magazine cost $3,500 a page. Twenty three pages comes out to $80,500.
Andrew Fabula, assistant general manager at a local hotel, said the county doesn't do enough advertising to attract tourists. And he was on board with the idea.
"You know, Oprah called us the 'happiest place in America', so we should play on that and market that," said Fabula. "I think San Luis Obispo could grow a lot if we advertised more."
The advertisement will run in March of next year and will feature the Wine Coast Country Discovery Route. The drive begins at Ragged Point and ends in Edna Valley. It's part of an effort to advertise the lesser known areas of the county to a broader audience.
Fabula's hotel is located in the heart of San Luis Obispo, but he says opening eyes to parts of the county like Cayucos and Oceano can be a good thing.
"As far as the county goes, any kind of revenue is good revenue," says Fabula. "We're very seasonal here, so getting people during the off season would be a really good idea."
The money will come entirely from the Business Improvement District and prevent county general fund dollars from being used. To Fabula, a well-executed ad campaign would make the costs negligible.
"As far as money goes you have to have your limits," says Fabula. "But if it's a successful marketing campaign, that's all that matters."
If the Board of Supervisors approves the ad tomorrow, U.S. Airways Magazine would start interviewing and taking pictures for the spread starting this month.
