February 25, 2025
Melissa Nilssen and Yulianna Cisneros
Visit California
555 Capitol Mall, Suite 1100
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support for Visit California Rural Marketing Program Regional Representation FY25-28 – Inland Empire
Dear Ms. Nilssen:
On behalf of Inland Action, I am pleased to write in support of GOCAL’s (Greater Ontario California) response to Visit California’s Request for Bids: Rural Marketing Program Regional Representation for FY25-28. GOCAL is the official destination marketing organization for the gateway to the Inland Empire – the cities of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga – but its impact as a leadership and advocacy voice for the broader Inland region extends far beyond that. Throughout its history, GOCAL has played a critical role in attracting visitors from around the nation and world and establishing the Inland Empire as a premier destination. These efforts have driven economic growth and created new job opportunities across what is now the 12th largest metropolitan area in the United States.
We believe that GOCAL is ideally positioned to represent the Inland Empire under Visit California’s Rural Region Marketing Program, and would exceed expectations when it comes to increasing awareness of and visitation to our region. We also believe GOCAL and its team of destination and hospitality professionals are the perfect choice to align regional branding and marketing with Visit California’s more visible efforts to promote California.
Financial stewardship is another important aspect of this Request for Bids, and here, too, we believe GOCAL is the ideal choice to leverage marketing grant dollars from Visit California to execute consumer, travel trade and earned media activity to encourage visitation from in-state, U.S. and international markets on behalf of the entire region.
Inland Action is a non-profit, non-partisan corporation of public spirited leaders who have joined together to be catalysts for the economic well-being of the Inland Empire region of California since 1962.
We are proud of our region and appreciate Visit California’s commitment – and investment – to increase awareness of all that we have to offer to visitors from across the world. We strongly urge your favorable consideration of GOCAL’s application for the Visit California Rural Marketing Program Inland Empire Regional Representation. With their decades of experience, GOCAL’s destination professionals will serve as a trusted source for our region to unite on tourism incentives and programs.
Sincerely,
Julie Michaels
Executive Director
Inland Action