Dear editor, In response to your article, “Visitors bureau to start over,” on Oct. 1. As the owner of a tourist business in town — Napa Walking Tour — I am shocked and unhappy with the peremptory decision made by the newly named Napa Valley Destination Council. “Meet and greet” operations like the Napa Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau are a necessary element in an effective tourism program.

Now that the Downtown Merchants have taken over this function I am much relieved. I do agree that a modern destination marketing organization will help Napa Valley, but I have no idea how the Napa Valley Destination Council will pay for itself. The current "best practices" model is right across the Mayacamas: Sonoma County Tourism Bureau. Their almost $6 million annual budget is paid for with a business improvement area, or BIA, which applies a 2 percent transient occupancy tax to hotel visits. The money that the Destination Council tried to take from the NVCVB to use toward destination marketing is a miniscule fraction of what is required. If the Napa Valley Destination Council has a plan for raising the millions required to effectively compete in regional, national, and international marketing, then all for the better.

Otherwise, the new organization will be stillborn, and their attempted theft of necessary funds for a "meet and greet" will be a sad commentary on Upvalley interests versus the up-and-coming city of Napa.

George Webber / Napa Walking Tour