Getting a handle on tourism at LakeTahoe through collaborative stewardship efforts

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - First it was a headline in Fodor's in November, suggesting people avoid visiting Lake Tahoe to give it a break. They had put the region on a list of natural attractions that could use a break, proclaiming that "Lake Tahoe has a people problem."

In SFGate on Wednesday, the headline read "Don't drive to Tahoe on any Friday in February, travel experts say." Their research with WAZE revealed searches to South Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area jumped more than 70 percent on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in January when compared to other days.

And Fridays in February appear they'll be the same, especially with President's Day and school ski week vacations.

Are these marketing nightmares, or a chance to share that Tahoe can still be enjoyed with a little bit of care, love, and understanding? They are just challenges, and it is a team of agencies and people making up Destination Stewardship that are turning challenges into success for everyone who loves Lake Tahoe, locals and visitors alike.

The Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority (LTVA) is part of the Destination Stewardship team that also includes the US Forest Service, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the City of South Lake Tahoe, Placer, El Dorado and Washoe counties, the Tahoe Fund, Tahoe Prosperity Center, the Town of Truckee, the Washoe Tribe, along with several others.

Together they are working to balance the needs of the environment, businesses, visitors, and local communities. It is a new shared strategy that will inspire everyone to take care of Tahoe, and "not love it to death."

LTVA CEO/President Carol Chaplin said the stewardship plan will change behaviors. The desired visitor coming out of that plan will be one willing to be flexible and change travel patterns to midweek and off-peak times. "Looking through that stewardship lens this is someone who is a repeat visitor who tends to be a visitor that loves Tahoe more," said Chaplin of their new travel habits.

Changing the behaviors of visitors and setting their Tahoe expectations begins with constant messaging about sustainable tourism and setting the tone prior to their visit and during their visit.

If those traveling to Lake Tahoe know the highways will be full of vehicles heading to Tahoe on Fridays and coming from Tahoe on Sundays, they could start to rethink their trip and come during mid-week.

North Lake Tahoe's marketing message has already begun to encourage visitors mid-week and during the off-season. Its popular "Learn to Ski Week" will be moved to later in the season instead of January - beginners still have great snow to enjoy and fewer crowds.

“The way people access and rely on public lands is changing," said USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) Forest Service Supervisor Erick Walker. "In everything from hiking to skiing, we are welcoming new and more diverse users, sometimes in growing numbers. Now is the time for us to come together to learn how we can better coordinate and improve the whole picture.”

It isn't just during winter when crowds come to Tahoe, visitation is heavy during the summer, leaving a widespread footprint.

Before the COVID pandemic, Lake Tahoe was a popular place. Then, during the pandemic, LTVA started to send out the message of "love us from afar" to protect residents. People had discovered the outdoors offered a place to get out of their homes and away from cities and crowds. Restaurants, restrooms, and many businesses were not open, but they came, exposing the need to better love the environment.

Love us from afar didn't work, but it highlighted the need to educate the public, and not just visitors, on how to better treat what many call home and others call a refuge.

Many of those that came were what is called "nature novices," according to LTBMU Public Services Staff Officer, Daniel Cressy. Many didn't understand the "leave no trace" concept and the goal of stewardship is to make things better.

Recreation and the outdoors transform lives and give people meaningful experiences. Protecting that is something everyone needs to take ownership of.

Lake Tahoe is a backyard to more people as populations move outwards from the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Reno. With an estimated 15 million visitors a year, four million of those are what is called "untethered," meaning they don't spend the night and come up for the day.

Chaplin said the pandemic showed people they could take long drives to do what they wanted to do and recreate, and it became okay to visit Lake Tahoe for just the day from the Bay Area and Sacramento markets.

The untethered can't be reached through brochures at lodging properties, so it shows the need to reach the visitor prior to arrival. This not only includes how to leave no trace but also how to plan drive times and not pick the busiest period of the weekend to hit the roads, how to use Caltrans Quickmaps, and not depend on mapping apps, where to park, how to use transit, and more.

The collaborative efforts of Destination Stewardship will have one big unified message instead of smaller ones from different sources to keep consistency and create a "louder" message of responsible tourism.

The plan will help address recent pressures while optimizing the value of recreation and tourism in a changing world.