2025 Annual Update | Love Kitsap
A Long Look at 2025 - it’s a big update, buckle up...
Love Kitsap represents a fresh, unified effort to bring out the best in our communities and share them with the world. We are committed to fostering a deep connection between visitors and the authentic experiences that make Kitsap so special.
We are committed to dedicating our time & resources exclusively to tourism marketing, promotions and related activities.
Amazing engagement on all our platforms!
Our in-house creative and technical teams remain nimble and innovative as we enhance and expand the LoveKitsap websites. The platforms have achieved record engagement, showcasing each area of Kitsap individually and introducing new tools that make it easy for visitors to find resources based on when they plan to visit and which areas they want to explore.
We’ve built 3 WEBSITES in 2 years!
Love Kitsap offers THREE integrated websites designed to make exploring Kitsap County simple and seamless.
Love Kitsap serves as the central hub for tourism-related events, attractions, and resources.
Explore Kitsap is a comprehensive digital guide — coming soon in print and downloadable versions! — that highlights community experiences in a visually engaging and sustainable way.
Stay Kitsap 2026 is a dedicated World Cup 2026 resource featuring lodging and travel information before, during, and after the games. Together, these platforms connect visitors and locals while showcasing Kitsap’s natural beauty and unique experiences in one cohesive network.
4+ million views on Facebook! Every 90 days, we’re interacting with over 1 million viewers. This is an amazing stat for all of our Kitsap stakeholders and partnerships. More than 95% of this reach is organic traffic - we aren’t paying for much social advertising, and views are happening naturally. In fact, Facebook sends us messages regularly to tell us that our ‘content is fire’ and to ‘keep up the good work!’
2+million impressions on Google (that means people are searching ‘Kitsap’ related items and our website is consistently a resource they click on to learn more.
235,000+ pages viewed on the Love Kitsap website - which is HUGE for a site that was built less than two years ago.
255,000+ email newsletters have been sent, inspiring thousands of clicks to the websites of our featured partners.
5,600 photos of Kitsap events and POIs were taken by our team and shared with our partners/stakeholders, at no charge!
85+ events have been covered by Love Kitsap in the past 18 months! From farmers markets, to Viking bonfires, to parades and festivals, to art walks, Love Kitsap is present and engaged all year long.
100+ countries and all 50 US States regularly visit our website. Love Kitsap is an international voice for the Kitsap Peninsula!
To ensure that we utilize our LTAC funding, we operate with minimal overhead. This allows us to allocate as much funding as possible towards creating impactful marketing and PR assets, which in turn boosts Kitsap’s overall tourism economy.
Our small team has over 130+ years of tourism marketing experience — we work efficiently and quickly to ensure a solid return on your investment.
MOVE SOCIAL, GOOGLE AND WEBSITE STATS TO THE TOP, LEAD ALSO WITH ADVERTISING AND MEDIA. ADD TOP TIX.
Here is a more in-depth look at some of our website initiatives and work.
Love Kitsap is your official marketing team for the 2026 Seattle Games!
FIFA UPDATES
Love Kitsap is the leader in countywide promotion and branding for championship soccer.
As the closest Fan Zone to Seattle, Kitsap is uniquely positioned as a highly accessible destination by both car and ferry. Under the oversight of the County and our strategic team and task force, we are proud to play an integral role in the Kitsap Countywide FIFA 2026 effort.
From the public announcement of the Fan Zone and the kickoff experience at Lumen Field to the development of the communications platform, Love Kitsap created the StayKitsap26 branding and developed StayKitsap26.com. We continue to work closely with key stakeholders to establish a strong foundation for welcoming visitors. This includes regular stakeholder updates through our task force and multiple countywide presentations to organizations such as KEDA, KRCC, and others, ensuring regional awareness, alignment, and support.
Our messaging positions Kitsap as Seattle’s easily accessible “neighborhood,” offering all the benefits of proximity to the city paired with the distinctive experiences and charm of the Kitsap Peninsula. This work has expanded Kitsap’s visibility across local, regional, national, and international audiences, strengthening our competitive presence as Washington’s most accessible gateway to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The post-fifa stay kitsap LODGING pivot:
StayKitsap26.com features Kitsap’s collection of lodging options in an easy to navigate system created for prospective travelers. After the world championship games have concluded in Seattle the Stay Kitsap website will shed soccer related content and fully pivot into a comprehensive resource on Lodging & Accommodations in Kitsap as well as a compendium of the most popular experiences, restaurants and itineraries - continuing to serve travelers researching tourism related information Kitsap with clear, comprehensive and concise information.
Itineraries & experiences:
The Stay Kitsap website has a growing list of Kitsap’s unique experiences and suggested itineraries to help visitors make the most of their time and see as much of our beautiful communities and POIs as possible.
Eateries:
On StayKitsap26.com we have 80+ Kitsap’s top eateries, cafes, and restaurants, and the list is growing. Visitors can filter by food type and city to drill down and explore the best of what Kitsap has to offer!
The perfect partnership
Downtown Bremerton {X} Love Kitsap
Love Kitsap has come up alongside the Downtown Bremerton Association and the Bremerton Fan Zone to drive marketing awareness and promotional support for the Fan Zone activities throughout June & July.
Love Kitsap | Website + Brand
new features:
DEsign refresh
After many years of the same colors and fonts, we decided it was time for a bit of a refresh. Using bold new colors and fun fonts that highlight the light, easy-going, good-natured brand so many have come to love. It feels good to love Kitsap; these colors also bring that same energy to our brand. (See our refreshed ‘Like a Local’ designs below).
‘Like a Local’ (previously ‘secret summer’) SERIES
Back for a 2nd season with all new local guides who share their favorite places to eat, drink, explore, and experience Kitsap. This year’s guides include:
Pete Orbea, the Zappeys, Molly Brahmer, Danielle Rimbert, Korum Bischoff, and more!
BIG NEWS FOR SECRET SUMMER! It’s such a hit, we’ve decided to keep them coming all year long. Secret Summer became ‘Like a Local’ as we continue to share local tips year-round.
SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
One of our most popular summer resources, the Summer Concert Guide, highlights all of Kitsap’s summer outdoor concert series from Kingston to the Port Orchard waterfront. We round up all of these hard-to-find resources and help locals and visitors dance the summer nights away.
Seasonal Events Preview
The Home page and additional main navigation pages - like the Summer and Autumn pages - are refreshed annually to reflect new adventures, events, and environments.
Our Event Guides curate information on all annual Kitsap events, eliminating the need for locals and visitors to spend hours searching for event details. These live on the seasonal page the event corresponds to, listed in one place, easy for the user to research, with links to additional information and ticket sales.
Specific Guides offer additional information on local events. In summer, we curate lists of Kitsap’s outdoor concerts and summer markets, with round-ups of State Parks and golf courses. For Autumn, we round up pumpkin patches, the spookier details, and the end of each farmers market season so users can make the most of those last few sunny Saturdays.
The Beloved Holiday Gift Guide
We encouraged locals to break up with Amazon again this year and support our local small businesses during their holiday shopping. Shopping locally has never been easier than it is with our Gift Guide. The local makers, small shops, and locally owned storefronts create the fabric of our retail economy, we’ve consolidated the info in one easy-to-navigate space, making shopping locally easier than ever. Our site is a resource for those who want to shop online in the comfort of their own home and for those who want to shop till they drop! (This page is prominent, within our main navigation all year long, but each year during the holiday season, we update, refresh, and intentionally advertise more frequently.
even more local partnerships & promotions to note:
This year, the Suquamish Tribe launched a bus tour! They invited us to attend the inaugural bus tour and experience the history of the Suquamish people firsthand. This was an incredible experience, and we shared our content and advertised this tour all summer.
EXPLORE THE BREMERTON NATIONAL AIRPORT:
Written in collaboration with the Port of Bremerton, we explore all the Port of Bremerton has to offer.
EXPLORE THE BREMERTON WATERFRONT IN 2-3 HOURS:
Bremerton is pet-friendly, kid-friendly, and super easy to explore, even if you’re short on time.
One of our longest-running Kitsap events (since 1974), Whaling Days hosts 3 full days of markets, concerts, and family-friendly activities for locals and tourists alike.
Stay Features: Highlighting Local Lodging | Website
Earlier this year, we launched a new “Stay” series, highlighting over 30 local hotels and Airbnbs. Our efforts are focused on driving travel during the shoulder seasons, with targeted summer promotions to help our lodging partners maintain strong occupancy rates in line with evolving travel trends. Visitors can book a hotel or Airbnb directly from the Love Kitsap and Stay Kitsap websites.
25 adventures in 2025 | 2025 Marketing campaign | Website + Print
This is your year for adventure! It's your year for beach walking, coffee sipping and sailing. It's your year for incredible food, farmers markets and festivals.
annual events calendar | Website
The Annual Events Calendar launched at the beginning of Q1. We found there wasn’t ONE SINGLE SPOT for locals and visitors to access all of Kitsap’s annual event information. UNTIL NOW!
Our ANNUAL EVENTS CALENDAR shines a huge spotlight on all of our well-loved yearly events — from Olalla to Hansville and everything in between. This page has filled a huge void for locals and visitors alike, because our events page has surpassed all other pages and become our most helpful resource and the highest-viewed page on the site.
Advertising campaigns and content creation
We’re back with season 2!
Our Cascade PBS series ‘Northwest Explorer’ films Season 2
We are actively developing new content to expand our Kitsap-focused ‘Northwest Explorer’ series in partnership with Cascade PBS, further building significant exposure for Kitsap County. Love Kitsap created the concept of this series and has been a "PBS Pioneer," moving the program forward.
Season 1 featured six episodes, highlighting Bremerton and Bainbridge Island.
Season 2 features four episodes focused on North Kitsap, showcasing Poulsbo, Suquamish, Hansville, and Port Gamble. Three episodes are live now, with a fourth coming soon to close out the season.
These stories are hosted by Angela Moorer and are designed to elevate Kitsap’s visibility across proven target market audiences, strengthening our position as a must-visit destination.
Content Creation / Photo + Video
Over 8,700+ photos now exist in our content library database. We use these assets to create all our print and digital marketing, ad campaigns, social media content, and more. Additionally, these assets are available AT NO COST to all of our local partners, allowing our partners to build their own content ecosystem goals.
City staff, magazine editors, hoteliers, ports, local media, tour operators, chambers, downtown business associations, local businesses, and event organizers across the county are using our library of content for their websites, newsletters, printed marketing materials, social media campaigns, and more!
Quality representation takes a lot of time, energy, and financial resources, many of which our smaller entities find difficult to fit into their budget, so we are happy to provide this complimentary service to our partner communities.
regional + Statewide advertising | Media partnerships
Love Kitsap played a pivotal role in ensuring Kitsap County had a strong presence in regional and state tourism guides this year. Without our direct support and investment, Kitsap would not have received the exposure needed to compete with other destinations for regional, national, and international coverage.
Our efforts secured advertising placements and ensured Kitsap was prominently represented in both the Washington State Tourism Guide and Visit Seattle’s Official Visitors Guide. These publications have a proven impact on travel decisions — introducing visitors to new destinations and increasing overnight stays — making them the most influential print platforms for tourism marketing in Washington.
WA State Visitor’s Guide Stats:
1.2+ million (annual readership)
225,000 (print copies)
460,000 (digital reads)
Visit Seattle Visitor’s Guide Stats:
1.3+ million (annual readership)
200,000 (print copies)
620,000 (digital reads)
Additional Media partnerships
WestSound Magazine > Premier Media Group
Love Kitsap has an exclusive partnership with WestSound Home & Garden Magazine and it’s new ownership team at Premier Media Group, operating 425, South Sound, NW Travel and Life, etc. PMG has partnered with Love Kitsap to help share tourism news, updates, and FIFA 2026 information across Kitsap County. We are deeply grateful for this reciprocal partnership and the continued support of WSM and PMG in helping us amplify the Love Kitsap message.
The February issue showcased our Tails & Trails article series and exploration guides in a special four-page spread, along with the official announcement that Bremerton has been selected as an Official Fan Zone for the 2026 Seattle World Cup. Moving forward, each issue of WestSound Magazine will include updates on World Cup news and developments leading up to summer 2026.
Read the digital versions of these articles at https://wsmag.net/tag/love-kitsap/
1889 Magazine
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Building a community of partnerships
Seattle TopTix + Bainbridge Adventures
Partnership Campaign
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Suquamish Museum + Bus Tour
PARTNERship campaign
Love Kitsap was proud to be on the inaugural Guided Bus Tour led by the Suquamish Museum, for the purpose of capturing photos, video, and providing strategic marketing support all summer long for this incredible opportunity to explore the culture and legacy of the Suquamish tribe.
Port of Bremerton
PARTNERship campaign
Partnering with the Port of Bremerton, we developed original content titles that serve to inform and inspire Port guests of the many activities and things to do along the Port Orchard & Bremerton waterfronts.
Maritime Washington
Partnership campaign
A partnership with Maritime WA allowed us to set sail aboard the historic Carlisle II with the one and only Josh Farley in a guided tour we call ‘Story Sails’. Hundreds of visitors to the Port Orchard waterfront enjoyed sailing on the water & learning local history and lore!
All 4 sailings were SOLD OUT
Over 300+ tickets were sold!
We are already looking forward to the 2026 annual event and additional marketing partnerships in the near future with our friends at Maritime WA - stay tuned!
As we conclude this long list of Love Kitsap information, we’d like to express our gratitude for reading and taking the time to understand more about the mission and work of Love Kitsap within our community. Our small team is made up of individuals who’ve lived in Kitsap for well over 100 cumulative years. We LOVE living here, we LOVE sharing this community with all of you, and we LOVE helping visitors fall in love with Kitsap.
Sincerely,
Your guide to Poulsbo’s Viking Fest - where to park, play, eat, and stay during one of Kitsap’s favorite annual events.