catalina island visitors bureau

Dear 763RomanCB,I am very sorry to hear that your recent visit to Catalina Island left you with a poor taste. As a resident of the island myself, I am sad to hear that a fellow resident described our community as "stale at hateful". While the island is not a controlled environment such as Disneyland, we are cognizant that tourism and the hospitality trade are both our only industry, and at the core of what we live and work for here on Catalina Island.Customer Service training is an ongoing priority for us at the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce. While we are not a regulatory agency, we work hard to provide supportive customer service and hospitality programs to our member businesses, and by and large, I believe that we are successful. I am sorry that you were not able to experience the friendly service that most visitors report experiencing. However, we are always looking for ideas and feedback. You idea of a "smile" campaign is a good one, and I will pass it along to my co-workers here at the Bureau.I hope that you will consider a return trip to Catalina Island, and that we can provide you with a more positive experience. Please feel free to reach out to me at alincoln@catalinachamber.com if I can be of further assistance.Thank you!-Amelia

Their wasn't a category for reviewing the Catalina locals, so I'm doing it here. I've visited Catalina dozens of times over the years. The last visit was ten years ago, so I was excited to get a chance to come out and relive my earlier enjoyments. Love Catalina. Carming. Quaint. Unrushed. Singular!Holy Hating Locals Batman. Not one smile from the hotel people. Not one pleasant word from an ice cream vendor. No eye contact from attraction vendors. What's going on here???I am a happiness guy. Love reaching out. Love learning about people. Love getting off the beaten path and seeing the 'real' place. After a day and half, I can't wait to leave. I hope this is a one-off, bad timing kind of thing.But I'm afraid the non-existant customer service, the hostile-pitality (new coined term) and total lack of any kind of niceness amongst the locals is the current state of mind here. I know the tension between locals and tourists is an eternal struggle. Locals in Hawaii have at least learned to fake all of the above. Catalina can take a page from their playbook. I asked one clerk at the boat vendor if she lived here. She grew up here. "Do you like it?" I asked. "I hate it here" was her reply. "Why?""Because it's stale and hateful." The maid at my hotel all but growled at me at I was leaving my room this afternoon. Massive scowl as I bid her a good day. No reply. Maybe this all happened since Cruise ships started dumping their passengers here in the last decade or so. Maybe the onslaught of day-trippers has them jaded. Maybe the economy causes them to work for dirt cheap. Maybe maybe maybe. All I can say is that it is palpable. Cut it with a knife. Too bad. Leaving early. Cheer up Catalina, you're living on an island with a fraction of the troubles the rest of us encounter on a daily basis. When's the last time you had a commute? Gang violence? Metal detectors in school? Jammed in a subway car until you can't breath? Cars speeding through your neighborhood? You live on an enchanted paradise! Get over your sniveling little gripes and smile at us when we come to help you survive! Sheesh.Visitors Bureau! Get some kind of "smile" campaign going. Hospitality training! Courtesy workshops. Greeting meetings. Live it up! Take acting classes. Method acting. Reach way back into your past and get in touch with your joy, your bliss, your passion. Do something to help your people rise up and love something about this wonderful little slice of heaven. Dang!

They had a good choice of brochures and such but the woman at the place seemed preoccupied with reading and didn't seem to want to be disturbed. Why was she there then? Need to have some friendliness and enthusiasm in your docents or representatives at the Visitors Bureau. They are helpful and friendly at the Casino... Maybe need to take some lessons?

Older lady, I stop to ask questions. Ask where to find hotel map it out. Left me with other questions. Never came back.

The town of Avalon is concentrated within one mile of land. Can pretty much do everything in one day. It has something for: foodies, divers, snorkel, sea life watching, golf cart riding, zip lining and people watching.

I just wanted to say "goodbye," to Carolyn. I am sorry to hear that you are leaving. Thank you for all your support, and for never saying "I don't know." I will admit, you did not always have that happy bubbly voice, that some people have on the phone. But you always had the answers to my questions, and if you didn't, you found them for me. You will be missed.Diana

We asked many questions about places outside of Avalon, found out later that the information given was not quite accurate.

The women working the visitors' center did answer direct questions, but served up the short answers with a scowl...after making us wait. They were not at all friendly or welcoming.

Make sure to check out their booth located on the green pier. They can answer questions, give recommendations on activities, hotels and tips on the best way to enjoy your island experience.

These wonderful people will help you plan your trip, suggest hotels and restaurants and give you a good feel for what to do on your visit. Very helpful and highly recommended.

These people are very helpful. I have called them on the phone and been there in person many times. There are always thing to ask about and they really don't mind helping you out.

The information avaliable is excellent. The staff is always extreamely knowledgable and had great suggestions for any question.

Well worth the trip, we found out alot of information and also made our game plan (which we didn't have earlier.) Highly recommend the package deals, much cheaper than buying one excursion at a time.

The group which owns 88% of the island is the Catalina Conservancy and they give a variety of tours into the interior of the Island. These are the only official tours with guides who know the history, the geology, the flora and fauna of the island and I would recommend that you take their tours rather than some others. We took the 3-hour jeep tour and had Andrew as our tour guide He is marvelous and kept a constant spiel going about the history, geology and nature and filled with little anecdotes and stories about previous inhabitants. He also lived on the island during the 2007 fire and has some harrowing stories about that. Our group of 4 really enjoyed his tour and would recommend the Conservancy especially.

The bureau has the merchants working on the same page. For example, on your birthday you get a ribbon that gives you a free boat ride to and from the mainland, free lunch at the Buffalo Nickel, free coffee and ice cream, free miniature golf, discounts everywhere. They also promote a bunch of other events and maintain an excellent webpage so you can find events.