Aljolynn Sperber, executive director of Visit Kitsap Peninsula, and Irene Moyer, president and CEO of the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers, celebrate a partnership designed to strengthen visitor services, destination marketing, and Kitsap County’s visitor economy.
Visit Kitsap Peninsula (VKP) and the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers (GKCVC) announced a one-year partnership for 2026 designed to better coordinate tourism marketing, visitor services, business support, groups sales, and visitor data across Kitsap County.
The partnership is designed to help Kitsap welcome more visitors, encourage overnight stays, support local businesses, and prepare for increased regional and international travel.
This is not a merger. Both organizations will remain separate non-profits with their own boards, staff, finances, and missions. This partnership is a formal, time-bound partnership focused on clearer coordination, stronger accountability, and better service for visitors, businesses, and communities across Kitsap County.
For many years, both organizations have supported Kitsap’s visitor economy, often working towards similar goals from different places. VKP has focused on destination marketing, overnight stays, group sales, tourism development, and visitor data. GKCVC has focused on welcoming visitors, supporting local businesses, operating visitor centers, and creating community programs and events.
Because the organizations have worked in parallel, there have been areas of overlap, duplicated effort, and missed chances to coordinate more closely. This partnership brings those efforts into better alignment so Kitsap can offer a clearer, more welcoming experience for visitors and stronger support for local businesses.
“Tourism works best when the full visitor experience feels connected,” said Aljolynn Sperber, executive director for VKP. “This partnership helps connect marketing, visitor services, lodging coordination, business readiness, and data so visitors have a better experience and local communities benefit.”
“The Greater Kitsap Chamber and Visitor Center has always played an important role in welcoming visitors and connecting them to the local community, whether it be with local businesses and attractions or events designed to show visitors the unique experience and flavor that Kitsap has to offer,” said Irene Moyer, President & CEO. “This more formalized partnership with Visit Kitsap Peninsula strengthens that work by aligning visitor services with countywide destination marketing and group sales – helping visitors stay longer, spend more, and return.”
The FY2026 partnership will focus on:
Outcomes will be reviewed throughout the year and summarized at year-end to inform future collaboration.
For more information, please contact:
Visit Kitsap Peninsula
Aljolynn Sperber, Executive Director
hello@visitkitsap.com
visitkitsap.com
Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers
Irene Moyer, President & CEO
hello@greaterkitsapchamber.com
greaterkitsapchamber.com
ABOUT GREATER KITSAP CHAMBER & VISITOR CENTER
The Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers supports local businesses, community connection, and visitor services throughout Kitsap County. The organization operates visitor centers in Bremerton and Silverdale and helps connect visitors with local businesses, attractions, events, and community resources.
ABOUT VISIT KITSAP PENINSULA
Visit Kitsap Peninsula is the countywide destination marketing organization for Kitsap County. The organization works to increase overnight stays, visitor spending, and economic impact by promoting Kitsap as a welcoming destination for leisure travelers, groups, meetings, events, and regional visitors.
Is this a merger between Visit Kitsap Peninsula and the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers?
No. This is not a merger.
Visit Kitsap Peninsula and the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers remain separate nonprofit organizations with their own boards, staff, finances, and missions.
This is a one-year partnership for 2026 focused on better coordination, clearer roles, shared accountability, and stronger support for Kitsap’s visitor economy.
What is this partnership?
This partnership brings together the strengths of both organizations to better serve visitors, local businesses, lodging partners, event organizers, and communities across Kitsap County.
Visit Kitsap Peninsula leads countywide destination marketing, tourism development, group sales, visitor data, and overnight-stay strategy.
The Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers supports visitor services, local business connections, visitor centers in Bremerton and Silverdale, and community-facing programs.
Together, the organizations are working to make Kitsap easier to discover, easier to visit, and easier to navigate once visitors arrive.
Why this partnership? Why now?
For many years, both organizations have supported Kitsap’s visitor economy, often working toward similar goals from different places. At times, that has meant duplicated work, missed coordination opportunities, or confusion about who was responsible for what. This partnership brings that work into better alignment.
What has been challenging in the past?
Visit Kitsap Peninsula and the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers have often worked in similar spaces, but not always through one shared plan.
That can lead to duplicated efforts, missed chances to share information, and less clarity for businesses, funders, and visitors.
This partnership is designed to reduce overlap, improve coordination, and make sure both organizations are focused on the work they are best positioned to do.
What does this mean for local businesses?
For local businesses, this partnership is intended to make it easier to connect with visitor opportunities.
That may include stronger referrals from visitor centers, more coordinated destination marketing, better communication around visitor trends, group sales opportunities, and practical support for welcoming visitors.
Restaurants, shops, lodging properties, attractions, tour operators, event organizers, arts and culture organizations, and transportation partners can all benefit when visitors have a clearer path to discovering and spending time in Kitsap.
What does this mean for residents?
For residents, the goal is a stronger and more organized visitor economy that supports local businesses, jobs, events, public services, and community investment.
Tourism works best when it benefits both visitors and the communities they visit. This partnership is focused on encouraging responsible visitation, overnight stays, and visitor spending that supports Kitsap County businesses and communities.
What is different for visitors?
Visitors should have an easier experience before and during their trip. That means clearer destination information, better connections to local businesses, more helpful visitor center support, stronger referrals to lodging and attractions, and a more welcoming experience across Kitsap County.
The goal is to help visitors discover more of Kitsap, stay longer, and return in the future.
What did the partnership focus on during and after the World Cup period?
The partnership focused on five key areas:
Why do overnight stays matter?
Visitors who stay overnight usually spend more in the community.
They are more likely to eat at local restaurants, shop downtown, visit attractions, attend events, explore multiple communities, and come back for future trips.
Overnight stays also generate lodging tax, which helps fund tourism promotion and visitor-related programs without raising local taxes.
Where does the funding come from?
Tourism work may be funded through lodging tax, city and county tourism funds, grants, sponsorships, and other approved tourism-related sources.
Lodging tax is paid by people who stay in hotels, motels, and other lodging properties. These funds are intended to support tourism promotion, visitor services, events, and activities that bring visitors to the area.
Who is watching how the money is spent?
Both organizations are responsible for tracking and reporting how funds are used.
The partnership includes clear responsibilities, separate financial systems, line-item budgets, performance tracking, and reporting to funders.
Both organizations will continue to follow applicable nonprofit, contract, and lodging tax requirements.
How will we know if the partnership worked?
Success will be measured through agreed-upon performance indicators, including:
Results will be reviewed during the year and summarized after the partnership period.
What is visitor center engagement?
Visitor center engagement measures how visitors are being helped once they are already in Kitsap.
This may include the number of visitors served, questions answered, maps or guides distributed, referrals to local businesses, event information shared, and common visitor needs identified.
This information helps show whether visitors are being connected to local businesses and community experiences.
What are group sales and meetings?
Group sales and meetings include conferences, retreats, sports groups, reunions, weddings, business meetings, and other gatherings that bring people to Kitsap.
This type of travel is important because it can help fill hotels, venues, restaurants, and attractions outside the busiest summer travel periods.
How long does the partnership last?
The partnership is planned for 2026.
Outcomes will be reviewed during the year and summarized at the end of the partnership period.
What happens after 2026?
At the end of 2026, Visit Kitsap Peninsula and the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers will review the results and determine next steps.
That may include continuing the partnership, changing the structure, continuing specific programs, or concluding the formal partnership based on results, funding, and community needs.
How can businesses get involved?
Businesses can stay connected by sharing current information about their hours, services, events, group capacity, visitor-friendly offerings, seasonal promotions, and accessibility details.
Businesses can also connect with Visit Kitsap Peninsula and the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers to learn about marketing opportunities, visitor referrals, business readiness resources, and ways to support future major visitor periods.
Where can visitors get information?
Visitors can find destination information through Visit Kitsap Peninsula and in-person support through the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers in Bremerton and Silverdale.
Current visitor center locations, hours, maps, guides, and contact information are available through the organizations’ websites.
Who should I contact?
For destination marketing, tourism development, group sales, visitor data, or countywide tourism strategy, contact Visit Kitsap Peninsula.
For visitor center services, local business support, visitor referrals, volunteering, or Chamber-related programs, contact the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers.
How can the public follow progress?
The public can follow updates through Visit Kitsap Peninsula and the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Centers, including websites, newsletters, public updates, partner communications, and year-end reporting.