Tourism Industry Update

January 15, 2026

IN THIS ISSUE…

• Watsonville Named New Cultural District
• Visit California Renewal Referendum Passes
• Local Lodging Industry Represented at Seasonal Spectacular

Watsonville Named New Cultural District

The City of Watsonville has been named one of 10 new Cultural Districts identified by the California Arts Council (CAC) for 2026. Citing the region’s diversity, innovation, artistic and cultural expression, the CAC sources areas across the state through a multi-step process. 

The program helps communities harness their unique cultural assets to stimulate local economies, attract tourism, preserve historic sites, and support vibrant, inclusive creative economies. Districts are selected through a rigorous, equity-centered application process that emphasizes authentic community partnerships, vision clarity, and demonstrated cultural depth. 

Each region that applies to be named as a cultural district must have an application reviewed by the CAC and undergo a peer panel review, site visits for semi-finalists, and a finalist selection process. The program is highly competitive and receives interest and submissions from dozens of communities across the state.   

These new districts will receive $10,000 over a two-year period, official state certification, technical assistance, and access to joint marketing and branding resources. The designation period began on January 1, 2026 and will continue through December 31, 2030.   

Along with Watsonville, the other nine districts which have been chosen for 2026 include: The American Indian Cultural District, Yelamu – San Francisco County; The Arts and Culture District, Riverside – Riverside County; Arts District Liberty Station, San Diego – San Diego County; Black Arts Movement Business District, Oakland – Alameda County; Dos Rios Arts and Culture District, Modesto – Stanislaus County; Downtown Merced Cultural District, Merced – Merced County; Downtown Oxnard Cultural District, Oxnard – Ventura County; Historic South Los Angeles Black Cultural District, Los Angeles – Los Angeles County; San Jose Japantown, San Jose – Santa Clara County. 

The California Cultural Districts program was established through Assembly Bill 189 and signed into law in 2015, granting the CAC the authority to identify, designate, and promote areas of concentrated cultural activity.  

In December, the California Arts Council released The Future of California Is Creative, the first strategic plan for the Creative Economy in California. 

Visit California Renewal Referendum Passes

Every six years, the statewide tourism industry considers whether to continue to fund Visit California’s domestic and global marketing programs that power the state’s travel industry. In 2019 the renewal was passed and 2025 saw another effort for the state’s tourism marketing programs to continue, funded by assessments from tourism-related businesses – accommodations, restaurants, and rental car agencies – not tax dollars. This collective effort from these businesses support an investment in marketing California as a travel destination. Similar to Santa Cruz County’s Tourism Marketing District, Visit California relies on these assessments to activate marketing and promotional programs throughout the state. Visit Santa Cruz is happy to report that Visit California’s referendum passed with a 98.3 pecent approval — the highest in their history. 

The benefit of Visit California’s efforts on behalf of destinations is enormous. In the same way Visit Santa Cruz County (VSCC) can help elevate the exposure of local area businesses, Visit California affords VSCC opportunities it may otherwise not be able to access: international media and travel trade missions; media hosting opportunities designed for journalists on assignment to profile Santa Cruz County as a travel destination in consumer, lifestyle and travel outlets on an earned-media basis; familiarization tours for meeting and conference planners and tour operators; and domestic media events targeting major media markets across the U.S. 

To prepare for the vote, Visit California launched “Forward Together,” a campaign to support the renewal of this work that brings billions of dollars of new visitor spending to hotels, rental cars, restaurants, attractions, retailers and thousands of other businesses in every community across the state.  

Visit California is a nonprofit organization that drives demand for California as a travel destination, increasing visitor spending in the state. In partnership with the state’s travel businesses, Visit California executes global marketing programs that power the state’s $140 billion travel industry. Visit California is conceived, funded and led by the travel industry. For more than 25 years, the program has delivered billions of dollars of new visitor spending to the state’s hotels, rental cars, restaurants, attractions, retailers and thousands of other businesses in every community across the state.  

Visit Santa Cruz County applauds these efforts and the renewal of the referendum. 

Local Lodging Industry Represented at Seasonal Spectacular

The year ended with a collaborative effort between Visit Santa Cruz County and local hoteliers at one of the industry’s most far-reaching trade shows. Association West’s annual Seasonal Spectacular brought together local lodging representatives together with meeting planners to target a critical revenue stream for the tourism industry.  Educational sessions, networking opportunities and keynote speakers were the touchpoints of this expansive, two-day trade show. Visit Santa Cruz County’s Director of Sales and Travel Trade Flavia Oliveira along with representatives from eight local lodging properties attended together, showing a strong regional presence at this premiere event. 

Held in Sacramento December 16 – 17, Flavia was accompanied at the show by Anna Borrego, Group Sales Manager from the Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley, Eddie Diano, Director of Sales and Marketing from Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection by Marriott, Bridgette Quartararo, Director of Sales from Seacliff Inn, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Michele Busenhart, Senior Sales Manager from Chaminade Resort & Spa, Katie Tollick, Senior Sales Manager from Dream Inn Santa Cruz, Frances Hester, Regional Sales Manager from Lotus Management, Rachel Carnaham, Director of Sales from Seascape Beach Resort and Katie Mulligan, Senior Sales Manager from The Grove Santa Cruz Event Center. Information about Santa Cruz County meeting and event venues and team building and activity ideas was provided to meeting planners and representatives from association-related groups.Santa Cruz County offers enhanced offsite experiences and opportunities to connect with nature for meeting and conference attendees, primarily in Sacramento and northern California. This environment lies in stark contrast to the expansive campuses of larger companies and provides meaningful retreat experiences due to the area’s natural beauty, state parks and beaches and creative venues like rural wineries and museums: unique elements planners seek when considering an offsite meeting. 

Some of the educational workshop topics this year included navigating board and staff relationships, event design, crisis management, inclusion, artificial intelligence, and membership growth.