The Measure
Recreation and tourism trends in the Delta increase.
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Expectations
Delta recreation and tourism increases.
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Performance Metrics
- Acres of State and federal land accessible to the public for recreation and tourism
- Length (in linear feet) of shoreline accessible for public recreation*
- Number of fishing licenses bought per year by county
- Number of first-time visitors*
- Number of off-season visitors*
- Number of website views and social media traffic
- Number of existing and new visitor engagement*
*data currently unavailable, will be reported when available.
Next Data Update: The California Public Area Database will be evaluated in October 2023. If new accessible public lands in the Delta are recorded in the database at that time this metric will be updated. The next anticipated update for fish licenses is in 2023.
Next Data Update: The data on web traffic is available at the beginning of every year. The next anticipated data update is in 2023.
Next Data Update: The data on Facebook traffic is available at the beginning of every year. The next anticipated data update is in 2023.
Next Data Update: The data on Twitter traffic is available at the beginning of every year. The next anticipated data update is in 2023.
Next Data Update: There is no scheduled update for a new recreation survey, however, the survey supported a 5 year update to the Delta Economic Sustainability Plan. So a new survey may occur to support an update in 2025.
The Delta is a world-class tourism destination and investment in Delta communities will bring changes that enrich agriculture, support services, recreation quality, and the Delta economy. Many recreation and tourism opportunities are already present, and many additional ones have not been fully developed due to inadequate visitor information, aging/inadequate facilities, and restricted access to public lands.
The Delta Conservancy, in collaboration with the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Marketing Task Force, prepared a Delta Tourism Awareness Five-Year Marketing Plan in 2017. The Marketing Plan is a tool for the Delta community to develop and implement creative strategies to attract visitors, articulate key metrics for success, strengthen Delta branding, and build a Delta-centric tourism website (www.visitdelta.com).
This performance measure will assist decision-making related to protecting and enhancing recreational and tourism resources in the Delta.
Each chapter of the Delta plan includes strategies to achieve the goals of the plan. These strategies are general guidance on achieving the objective laid out in the plan and in the Delta Reform Act of 2009. Associated with these strategies are recommendations. The recommendations describe more specific and implementable actions to support the achievement of Delta Plan strategies. Strategies may also have associated performance measures. Delta Plan performance measures track progress in achieving desired outcomes for the Delta Plan. Below are the strategies and recommendations associated with this performance measure.
Delta Plan Strategy
- Encourage Recreation and Tourism
Delta Plan Recommendations
- Provide New and Protect Existing Recreation Opportunities
- Encourage Partnerships to Support Recreation and Tourism
- Expand State Recreation Areas
- Enhance Nature-based Recreation
- Promote Boating Safety
- Encourage Recreation on Public Lands
- Enhance Opportunities for Visitor-serving Businesses
- Provide Public Access on Appropriately-located Delta Levees
Metric
Evaluated annually:
• Acres of State and federal land accessible to the public for recreation and tourism
• Length (in linear feet) of shoreline accessible for public recreation
• Number of fishing licenses bought per year by county
• Number of first-time visitors
• Number of off-season visitors
• Number of website views and social media traffic
• Number of existing and new visitor engagement
Baseline
Measured as of July 2018.
Target
Increase of five percent, for each metric from the prior year, over a five-year period beginning once a baseline is established in 2018.
Data on acres of state and federal land accessible for public recreation is gather from The California Protected Areas Database. The statewide data set is clipped to the delta using ESRI software. Then acres are are calculated.
Data for web traffic and social media traffic are provided by the Delta Protection Commission. Web traffic is provided by google analytics. Facebook and Twitter data are provided by the platforms.
Council staff collect data on public lands available for recreation and fishing license sales from CDFW's License Statistics webpage.
Delta Plan Appendix E - Performance Measures for the Delta Plan
Delta Protection Commission. The Economic Sustainability Plan
California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW License and Revenue Branch
California Department of Parks and Recreation. Meeting the Park Needs of All Californians - 2015 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
California Department of Parks and Recreation. Parks for All Californians. CDPR Office of Grants and Local Services and GreenInfo Network