November 13, 2025
IN THIS ISSUE…
- Visit Santa Cruz County Announces Plans to Welcome 2026 World Cup
- Santa Cruz County Represented at Travel Week in London, IMEX
- VSCC Hosts French Influencers
Visit Santa Cruz County Announces Plans to Welcome 2026 World Cup
Joining the excitement of the World Cup next year, VSCC is leveraging its proximity to Levi’s Stadium and the influx of visitors to the Bay Area to boost tourism to the region. A mere 35 miles from the soccer venue combined with the progressive roots for which Santa Cruz County is known, VSCC plans to expand the regional footprint for the soccer fans coming to root for their favorite team.
Working with the Bay Area Host Committee (BAHC) in a strategic partnership and regular meetings with “The Huddle” – a network of local elected officials, city parks and rec representatives and small business owners, VSCC envisions local activations and activities to increase hotel stays and traffic to restaurants and local retailers.
VSCC produced a logo with the tagline “Kickoff Santa Cruz” for businesses and organizations to use for merchandise and promotional efforts, including as a weblink to a soccer-specific landing page on santacruz.org where visitors to the site can find hotel accommodations, places to eat and things to do. The goal of amplifying World Cup engagement through hotel bookings, curated experiences and special events associated with the competition will ultimately elevate the economic opportunities the tournament presents as well as fostering community engagement.
If your business or organization would like access to the “Kickoff Santa Cruz” logos, please contact VSCC. Are you planning a community activation or special event? Let us know about it!
Santa Cruz County Represented at Travel Week in London, IMEX
Coinciding with Brand USA’s America the Beautiful campaign, launched in October, Visit Santa Cruz County participated in USA Travel Week in London. Working collaboratively with See Monterey, Santa Cruz County seized the opportunity to connect with tour operators from across the UK and Europe. America the Beautiful is designed to bolster international tourism and showcase the United States as a top global travel destination, strategically launched as the FIFA World Cup and the country’s Semiquincentennial (250th) celebration approaches.
Travel Week began on Monday, October 20 with market insights, updates and a keynote session. Tuesday, October 21, through Thursday, October 23, was packed with a series of matching one-to-one appointments, enrichment sessions and networking. Flavia Oliveira, Director of Sales and Travel Trade for Visit Santa Cruz County and Brendan Croft, representing See Monterey in the UK co-hosted over 40 appointments from representatives from the UK, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Sweden. As Santa Cruz County has matured as a destination with UK travelers, The Brand USA estimates that international travel to the U.S. will grow to 70.45 million visitors in 2026. Europe remains the strongest overseas market for the U.S., representing about 41 percent of all arrivals.
Aligning the campaign with the FIFA World Cup and the Super Bowl, America the Beautiful will leverage the nation’s stunning natural beauty, rich historical landmarks, regional cultural distinctions, and diverse tourism offerings to attract international visitors, stimulate economic growth, and support local businesses across the country.
On the meetings front, five Santa Cruz County hotel representatives joined Flavia at IMEX America in Las Vegas October 7 – 9. The Chaminade Resort + Spa, Dream Inn Santa Cruz, the La Bahia Hotel + Spa, Hotel Paradox and Courtyard by Mariott Santa Cruz also exhibited at the event. The largest professional planning show in the U.S., IMEX features a full trade show schedule and supports Visit California’s “Meet What’s Possible” initiative, which positions the state as ready to host professional meetings and events.
VSCC Hosts French Influencers
In October, VSCC worked with Visit California’s France office on a fam tour, hosting four high-profile influencers who visited San Francisco, Santa Cruz County and Monterey to collect and share content with their followers.
Presenting content opportunities that reflect local culture and sense of place, a carefully curated itinerary introduced the group to old growth redwood forest at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, the iconic Santa Cruz Harbor, the importance of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, recreational opportunities like sailing and hiking, the historic arcade at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the Santa Cruz Wharf, scenic West Cliff Drive, and some of the local cuisine featured at the Jack O’Neill Lounge and Restaurant, Chaminade’s onsite eatery The View and The Grove Café +Bakery in Felton. Chaminade Resort + Spa hosted accommodations, which provided a restful respite for the group.
Alia Chergui and Flora Coquerel’s built-in audiences from her television appearance on France’s equivalent of “Big Brother” and her 2014 Miss France crown respectively, together with Megan Villiot and Saskia Jacobs, the foursome has nearly 1.7 million followers combined on Instagram alone. While in-market they captured content for posts, stories, and reels on Instagram and TikTok.
VSCC’s in-house communications program includes traditional outreach to national and international media outlets and a stellar social media team that carefully curates content that will resonate most authentically with fans and followers. However, when approached by Visit California, VSCC hosts social media influencers who are carefully vetted by the state to ensure the content they create complements our efforts.
New Mailing Address for VSCC!
We’ve moved! Be sure to update your databases to reflect our new address: 725 Front Street, Suite 200, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
Prepare Your Property for Compression
Stay informed on what the City of San Jose is hosting at the McEnery Convention Center, the San Jose Civic Auditorium, the Center for Performing Arts and other event venues as conference and special event guests may be seeking rooms due to compression. This latest event calendar outlines public and corporate events through early January 2026.
Governor Newsom Signs Short-Term Rental Bill
Strongly supported by travel associations such as CHLA, SB346 was signed into law last month, requiring short-term rental platforms to share host information with local governments, helping identify illegal rentals and ensure proper tax collection. The measure brings the tourism industry one step closer to a level playing field, allowing jurisdictions to collect the correct amount of transient occupancy taxes owed to them.
Get Innspired!
The 2026 InnSpire Conference and Marketplace, which addresses the needs of bed and breakfast inns and boutique hotel owners, will take place in Monterey January 27 – 28 at the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa. This annual conference, sponsored by the California Association of Bed and Breakfast Inns (CABBI) will feature two days of education and networking for seasoned industry professionals and aspiring boutique hoteliers.
Did you know…
As we head into winter, VSCC reminds the industry that surgical and N95 facemasks and a limited supply of hand sanitizer are available this season to lodging properties and local businesses. Please contact us if you need any of these items for your staff or guests.