June 12, 2025
IN THIS ISSUE…
- Santa Cruz County Tourism Industry Represented in Denver Media Market
- Reverse Sales Mission and Fam Tour Expose Mexican Tour Operators to Santa Cruz County Hotels, Activities, Attractions
- South Korea Influencers Experience Santa Cruz County on Customized Fam Tour
Santa Cruz County Tourism Industry Represented in Denver Media Market
The final Visit California media event closing out the 2024 – 2025 fiscal year took place in Denver on May 15th. Visit Santa Cruz County Director of Communications Christina Glynn participated in the event, which allowed Santa Cruz County hotels, restaurants, attractions and state parks to experience elevated visibility in one of the largest media markets in the western United States.
Twenty destinations from throughout California met with 26 media representatives and influencers in Denver, the major media center in Colorado and the Mountain West region of the U.S. Staff and freelancers from Conde Nast Traveler, the Denver Post, Food & Wine, Lonely Planet, Good Housekeeping, Smithsonian magazine, AFAR, Architectural Digest and other outlets were in attendance.
Denver is one of the top ten origin markets in VSCC’s 2025 spring campaign, which began on March 3rd and continues through June 30th. Last summer, Frontier Airlines made its return to San José Mineta International Airport with the launch of daily nonstop service to Denver International Airport.
In addition to Visit Santa Cruz County, public relations representatives from Visit Paso Robles, See Monterey, Visit Santa Barbara, Visit Ventura, Mammoth Lakes Tourism, Visit Yosemite/Madera County, Visit Tuolumne County, Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, SF Travel, Visit Redding, Peregrine Hospitality, Visit Mendocino County, Sonoma County Tourism, Stay Healdsburg, Destination Irvine, Visit Buena Park, Visit Dana Point, Visit Carlsbad and Visit Oceanside were also in attendance.
Reverse Sales Mission and Fam Tour Expose Mexican Tour Operators to Santa Cruz County Hotels, Activities, Attractions
Following a successful week participating in Visit California’s Reverse Sales Mission, Visit Santa Cruz County had the pleasure of hosting seven travel agents from Mexico for an immersive familiarization tour, providing valuable destination insight to this critical international market.
The tour kicked off in Capitola Village at Pete’s Capitola restaurant. During their time in-market, the group explored scenic West Cliff Drive and the Santa Cruz Wharf with iRide California. The group also experienced the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Downtown Santa Cruz’s Birichino, Hook & Line, and a guided meditation at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The visit was hosted by Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection.
Factors such as a strong post-pandemic economic recovery, increased airlift into the United States, and a long-term presence in the California market support continued efforts in this market despite ongoing uncertainty and global sentiment.
South Korea Influencers Experience Santa Cruz County on Customized Fam Tour
Visit Santa Cruz County hosted an influencer fam tour earlier this month, hosted in partnership with Visit California’s South Korea office. The group kicked off their short stay on June 4th, visiting the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk following appetizers and mocktails at the Jack O’Neill Lounge and a tour of the Santa Cruz Wharf upon arrival.
Asian markets like South Korea have shifted away from group tours to California in recent years as younger travelers embrace FIT (Foreign Independent Travel) and increased airlift to California indicate that these markets may be promising for inbound travel to the region. With South Korea’s visitor spending fully recovered from pre-pandemic levels and the San Francisco Bay Area being the third most popular U.S. destination for these travelers, this potential market may soon become a significant touchpoint in VSCC’s future international marketing strategy, positioning itself as a niche market to the more seasoned and adventurous Asian visitor. South Korea in particular is a market that may hold significant value for the region. This fam tour coincided nicely with a Club California South Korea tour operator event in which VSCC participated remotely in March.
With a theme of romance guiding the activities of the fam, the group also experienced Capitola Village, Shadowbrook restaurant, West Cliff Drive, the Santa Cruz Wharf, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the scenic Redwood Loop Trail at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, The Grove Bakery Café in Felton and Roaring Camp Railroads. The Dream Inn Santa Cruz hosted the group’s stay, which included breakfast at the Jack O’Neill restaurant.
Interested in getting involved in future familiarization tour opportunities? Email Chistina Glynn, Director of Communications!
Accessible Ag
The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau is making it easier than ever to learn about the critical role ag plays in the Santa Cruz County economy and the contributions it makes to our local foodshed. Friends of Local Farmers provides experiences like a walking tour of a farm, a lunch panel with local farmers and ranchers, a behind-the-scenes tour of a farmer’s market, and more. The program offers a variety of ag-related experiences through September 27th.
Arrivals and Departures
Dan Smart has joined the La Bahia Hotel + Spa team as Hotel Manager: congrats Dan! Welcome Lydia Bates, Director of Sales and Marketing for the Dream Inn Santa Cruz. The Seascape Beach Resort has a new managing director in Josh Chirinos: welcome Josh! Troy Christian is the new General Manager of the Hotel Paradox, Autograph Collection by Marriott, woo hoo! And Ramy Hanna, Director of Sales and Marketing for the Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley has accepted a position with the Canopy by Hilton Hotel San Francisco SoMa.
Partner Kudos!
Congratulations to the City of Santa Cruz for the 2025 Resiliency and Sustainability Award of Excellence for the West Cliff 50 Year Vision! The award was given to the city by the American Planning Association’s Northern California Chapter. The city embraced an innovative and community-centered planning effort when creating the West Cliff Drive 50-Year Vision, a long-term strategy to create a resilient, accessible, and sustainable future for this iconic area of town.
Industry News
The Boardwalk’s Cocoanut Grove has rebranded as “The Grove – Santa Cruz Event Center.” The Bay Area’s largest ocean view event venue, The Grove maintains its iconic retro-chic ambiance with all the modern conveniences.
Did you know?
The Downtown Farmer’s Market officially moved to its new location on Cedar Street from Walnut Avenue up Church Street into the small library parking lot. The location is temporary, until a permanent market is built, likely breaking ground in 2027/28. Stay tuned!