Tourism Industry Update

Santa Cruz County Represented at Los Angeles Media Event

In October, a delegation of California public relations representatives from all over the state gathered at the newly built Intuit Dome in Los Angeles to connect with journalists, editors, and freelance writers in the second largest media market in the United States. Visit California’s Los Angeles Media Event attracted more than 120 members of the southern California market and some international media to learn about new destination product and network with communications professionals eager to share the latest news. 

Christina Glynn, Director of Communications attended the event along with 42 other representatives from Visit Yosemite, Visit Santa Barbara, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Visit Beverly Hills to name a few. Top pitches to media included new hotel construction and renovations, including the long-awaited La Bahia Hotel + Spa, the reopening of the Capitola Wharf, the debut of Hook + Line restaurant in Downtown Santa Cruz, coastal access restoration at Manresa Uplands State Beach, the opening of Adorable Bakery in Scotts Valley, and other news from around the county. 

Domestic and international media representatives from travel, lifestyle and consumer outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, CNN, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler China, Canada’s Globe & Mail, Harper’s Bazaar Mexico and others were in attendance, including a dozen social media influencers and content creators.  Christina discussed tourism-related story ideas with media and fulfilled information and photography requests from these one-on-one networking opportunities following the event. VSCC continues to monitor new routes out of San Jose Mineta International and other Bay Area airports to southern California to expand the drive market to this emerging gateway for Santa Cruz County. The connection between Santa Cruz and southern California is strengthened with Visit California’s ongoing California Road Trip Republic campaign, encouraging intrastate travel to destinations along iconic routes such as Highway 1 while inspiring visitors to get off the beaten path and visit the lesser-known, hidden gems of California.   

Mexican Micro-Influencers Visit Santa Cruz Region

In partnership with Visit California’s Mexico office, VSCC had the privilege of hosting four sports and travel influencers from Mexico October 9 – 10, 2024. The group was on a state-sponsored media familiarization tour to gather creative content from various destinations around the state to help promote the Ultimate Playground campaign abroad. Post-pandemic, VSCC’s international market focus has expanded to include Mexico, Germany and the targeted Asian markets of China and South Korea.

Leveraging statewide assets and experiences, Visit California is showcasing destinations’ different ways to play, banking on the idea that travel is some of the only time people take to play. The state tourism board debuted the Ultimate Playground campaign this past spring, under the “Let’s Play” global campaign, representing the state’s first brand evolution in over a decade. In lockstep with the campaign, VSCC’s efforts aim  to captivate the imaginations of travelers both near and far – using Santa Cruz County’s unique brand voice and style. The group kicked off their Santa Cruz County adventure with a hike along the scenic Redwood Loop Trail at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Midway through the hike, they enjoyed a peaceful picnic lunch in front of the iconic Fremont Tree, hosted by The Grove Felton Café & Bakery, followed by a mindfulness meditation session among the towering redwoods. In the afternoon, O’Neill Yacht Charters hosted a sunset sail on the Monterey Bay featuring wine tasting with Stockwell Cellars. En route to dinner at Venus Spirits Distillery, a quick stop at the Surfing Museum on scenic West Cliff Drive offered the opportunity to check out the swell and snap a photo before unwinding at the Beach Street Inn and Suites where the group stayed overnight.  

The following morning, Ed Guzman himself from Club Ed Surf School and Camps hosted everyone for a surfing lesson at Pleasure Point followed by a California casual breakfast at The Picnic Basket. After a quick stop at the Santa Cruz Wharf to view local wildlife and visit the sea lions, they wrapped up their memorable experience in Santa Cruz before their next stop on the California itinerary. 

VSCC’s international media, marketing and promotional programs are supported by the Tourism Marketing District and are designed to expand Santa Cruz County’s presence in the international market and exposure with key media outlets and content creators abroad.  

Mark Your Calendars for Small Business Saturday!

Celebrate and support small businesses and the impact they make on our local communities by “shopping small” on Saturday, November 30^th.  Small Business Saturday was originally created by American Express to support small local businesses as an alternative to Black Friday and Cyber Monday following Thanksgiving Day. This annual countywide coordinated effort involves hundreds of local business owners, who are being asked to provide special sales or promotions, hot chocolate, or another activity to boost in-store visitation on November 30^th.  Local small businesses can be listed on the AmericanExpress.com directory, for free, in print advertising, and in social media posts on the County of Santa Cruz’s Shop Small Facebook page. Are you a small business predominantly located within the City of Santa Cruz? Let the city’s Economic Development Department know about your plans for Small Business Saturday so they can help you promote your business! 

According to the County of Santa Cruz, out of the over 14,000 businesses within the county, 82 percent qualify as micro businesses with less than 9 employees.  A small business, by definition, has less than 50 employees, of which 96 percent of Santa Cruz County businesses qualify.  Shopping small during the holiday season boosts the local economy and helps many of these businesses for the rest of the year.  More people shopping small and locally keeps more money invested locally.  There is no cost to participate in this promotion, which will involve local businesses across the United  States!  Click here for your free Small Business Saturday promotional materials and to learn more about the initiative. Usure whether or not your business is already listed on the national Small Business Saturday website?  Click here to see if you’re featured and to update your business information!  

Social Media Update 

The VSCC blog is a vibrant and dynamic source of content that accounts for approximately 37% of all page views on the santacruz.org website. Diving into the season, VSCC recently shared a blog titled, Your Guide to Fall Colors in Santa Cruz County. To help promote the new piece, VSCC created a Facebook ad which resulted in over 6,000 clicks at a cost per click (CPC) of $0.08 for the blog. According to 2024 industry benchmarks, the average CPC for travel related traffic objective Facebook ads is $0.42. 

Arrivals, Departures and Kudos! 

Welcome Eddie Diano, who has accepted the position of director of sales and marketing at Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz. Congratulations to State Senator John Laird, who was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. And in partnership with local County Farm Bureaus, American Farm Bureau has honored Congressman Jimmy Panetta as a Friend of Farm Bureau for his support of agriculture throughout the past two-year legislative session. 

Host Media at Your Property or Business    

Are you a hotel, restaurant or attraction that is interested in hosting qualified travel writers on assignment? VSCC’s year-around communications program carefully vets journalists who are writing about Santa Cruz County as a travel destination. This summer, Hotel Paradox, The Penny Ice Creamery, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Bad Animal Books-Wine-Food, Flower Bar, Storrs Winery, and other local businesses were featured in Australia’s Escape travel and lifestyle magazine. With a circulation of over 2,500,000 readers in one of Santa Cruz County’s target international markets, this coverage is invaluable. Contact VSCC for more information about this free opportunity.   

Take the Marine Fisheries Advisory Council Survey! 

Are you a coastal property owner or manager, an aquaculture farmer or commercial, recreational, or tribal fisherman?  If so, the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) has released a survey to gather knowledge and perceptions about the nature of marine mammal interactions and use of deterrents currently employed by these groups. The data collected will be used to help NOAA Fisheries identify and prioritize those marine mammal deterrents that should be tested for their effectiveness to safely deter marine mammals and protect fishing gear/catch and property. The survey is active until November 22, 2024. Questions? Contact Katie Zanowicz, Policy Analyst at NOAA. 

Did you know?

The Airports Council International-North America rewarded San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) with Airport Carbon Accreditation! This accreditation was awarded for SJC’s progress toward reducing the facility’s greenhouse gas emissions with a Level 2 certification, recognizing that SJC is in alignment with the Climate Smart San José initiative, supporting protection of the region’s long-term socioeconomic viability. Go green!