Santa Monica's tourism industry has seen a mix of successes and challenges, with officials feeling “tentative optimism” as they look to 2024 and beyond.
On May 2nd, local leaders gathered at the Hotel Casa del Mar for the 15th Santa Monica Travel and Tourism Summit, which summarized its impact on Santa Monica's tourism economy and finances in 2023. A book was published. The report tracked Santa Monica's travel industry's continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and also touched on statistics such as visitor spending, job creation and tax revenue generated.
Santa Monica had 4,637,700 visitors in 2023, a 12.8% decrease from the 2022 total of 5,320,500. This also means that the total number of days a visitor stays is down from 2022, down 9%, but the average length of stay for a visitor is from 1.4 days in 2022 to 1.4 days in 2023. He increased to 1.46 days.
Visitor spending is seen as a further challenge as the city failed to reach the $1 billion mark as total visitor spending last year was $938.1 million, down 2.5% from 2022. However, the positive was that visitor spending per person per day was $138.21. , up nearly $10 from the previous year. One of the reasons behind the slump in retail spending is that hotel and accommodation prices are rising, eating into visitor budgets that could be spent elsewhere. You can
International visitors, dubbed a “sign of hope” due to longer stays and increased spending in the city, saw 1.12 million visitors spend $366.6 million, an increase of more than 11% from 2022 . International visitor numbers boosted the sluggish U.S. domestic visitor market. , as the number of U.S. visitors to Santa Monica in 2023 was 3.5 million, a 16.1% decrease from 2022.
One of the highlights of the report is that more than $62 million is being pumped directly into the city's general fund from the interim occupancy tax, which will increase by 5.6% starting in 2022. Lodging tax donations are entirely supported by our guests and play an important role in funding city services. These include the Santa Monica Police Department, the Santa Monica Fire Department, and the school system.
Despite some delays, Misty Kearns, president and CEO of Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, is excited about the upcoming Sandborn Santa Monica and Regent Santa Monica Beach hotel openings, as well as Silk. He said there are many things he is looking forward to, including new cultural experiences such as the revival of Du Soleil to Santa Monica Pier in October.
“The concept of tentative optimism encapsulates our collective mindset: the balance between hope for brighter days ahead and a realistic understanding of the hurdles we still face. “Kearns said. “The past few years have proven our industry's ability to weather storms, adapt to changing conditions, and emerge stronger and more resilient.”
The keynote address at the summit was given by Visit California President and CEO Carolina Betata, who also received the Jeff King Tourism Champion of the Year Award at the event. Betata said California's overall visitor numbers in 2023 were better than in 2022, finally exceeding pre-pandemic norms, with tax revenue generating $12.7 billion for the state and approximately 65,000 visitors. It added that new jobs were added.
Betata also shared new marketing ideas for Visit California and wanted a message that embodies the state's core elements of playfulness and open-mindedness. He said this includes marketing to international markets, noting that the state has an opportunity to see a surge in international tourists over the next two years.
“We're really gearing up for inspiration, and we're trying to cast that net wide and get people thinking about California, because if people think about California on a global scale, Because if you don't, you'll never get to Santa Monica. That's exactly what we do,” Betta said.
In addition to Betta's award, Shore Hotel Front Desk Supervisor Ramon Jimenez Bravo received the Thelma Parks Tourism Spirit Award for his “outstanding service in the hospitality industry” and received a $1,000 scholarship and Travel We were given a Santa Monica “staycation” provided by &. Tourism and Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. This award is not the only recognition for The Shore; it was noted that the hotel was named No. 1 hotel in the U.S. in TripAdvisor's 2024 Best of the Best Travelers' Choice Awards.
The event also included an international market panel featuring travel and tourism professionals from Australia/New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany and the UK/Ireland. Also recognized was Neil Carrey, Chairman of the Board of Travel & Tourism. A video message was received from City Manager David White and Mayor Phil Bullock, who encouraged the travel and tourism team to “continue to invest in our great city and keep Santa Monica an unparalleled tourist destination. We appreciate all the efforts made.” ”
In addition to praising local hotels and restaurants, Block also promotes the local arts scene as a tourist attraction, including weekly walking tours of downtown Santa Monica and recently introducing Ann Carmack as the city's poet laureate. Complemented.
“I know more than anyone how important (tourism) investment and the resulting momentum is to our economic recovery and especially our nation's resilience. (And) we will continue to celebrate our economic growth. We will increase the cultural viability of our community,” Block said. He said.
thomas@smdp.com
