The Travel Forecast - Visit Santa Cruz County

March 3, 2022

2022 Spring Campaign Launches with New Creative

VSCC is reactivating its annual Let’s Cruz Spring Marketing Campaign, brand new for 2022. This annual promotion – which officially launches today – is an effort to entice visitors during the pre-season and get consumers thinking about their summer vacation. The integrated campaign will include a brand new broadcast commercial, which features a diverse cast of talent experiencing a redwood forest, a south county beach, a local brewery, and other popular locations, and will air in select markets on Comcast. Online marketing campaigns with targeted Bay Area digital outlets, and a specialized social media component for 2022 round out the multi-level approach.

From now through May 31, 2022, fans and followers of Santa Cruz County can enter the Let’s Cruz Vacation Getaway Contest for a chance to win a three-night stay with daily breakfast for two guests at the Chaminade Resort and Spa, four passes to Roaring Camp Railroads, and $80 MyBoardwalk Play Card for the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, a $50 gift card to Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria, a $25 gift card to Seabright Social, a $20 gift card to The Penny Ice Creamery, $20 Downtown Santa Cruz Dollars, and a choice of four activities to custom-tailor their destination experience. The contest will also be integrated into VSCC’s social media channels and featured on Twitter, Facebook, and VSCC’s blog. Weekly giveaways on Facebook will also take place throughout the campaign.

The Grand Prize winner will be able to customize the vacation package with four activities to choose from, including a $75 Gift Certificate for Café Cruz, a $75 Gift Certificate for Shadowbrook Restaurant, a $40 Gift Card for Home/Work, a Craftbar Experience for four guests at Annieglass Studios, an excursion aboard Chardonnay Sailing Charters for two adults, a Wildlife Tour for four guests with Kayak Connection, a Family Pass (valid for two adults and four children) at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, a 90-minute Daytime or Sunset Sail for four guests aboard O’Neill Yacht Charters, a Stand-Up Paddle Adventure for two guests with SUP Shack, a Couples Relaxation Special at Well Within Spa (includes two 50-minute massages and 50 minutes in a tub room), wine tasting for four guests at Bargetto Winery, wine tasting for two guests at Lester Estate Winery, beer tasting for four guests at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, and a $100 gift card to Venus Spirits Cocktails and Kitchen. All prizes will also be given tickets to Roaring Camp Railroads and day passes to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Tickets to Roaring Camp Railroads and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will also be included in the weekly giveaways. A special prize package will be promoted exclusively to the Boardwalk’s Big Kahuna Club members of a two-night stay in a one-bedroom suite at the new Courtyard by Marriott Santa Cruz including a $50 food and beverage credit, four excursion passes at Roaring Camp Railroads, an $80 Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk MyBoardwalk Play Card, a $10 gift card to The Penny Ice Creamery, and $10 in Downtown Santa Cruz Dollars.

A special prize package for Dogtrekker e-news subscribers will also be offered, consisting of a two-night stay at pet-friendly Four Points by Sheraton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley, four excursion passes at Roaring Camp Railroads, a $25 gift card to Seabright Social, a $10 gift card to The Penny Ice Creamery, and $10 in Downtown Santa Cruz Dollars.

VSCC’s new “Let’s Cruz” commercial will be part of a major TV ad Campaign focused on targeted drive markets in the Central Valley including Stockton, Modesto, and Sacramento in addition to the San Francisco Bay area. The contest will also be promoted through VSCC’s monthly visitor e-newsletter, targeted online marketing, social media, and web banner ads on various travel-related websites.

The television and online marketing effort will ensure strong regional exposure within targeted drive markets to Santa Cruz County. A print ad in the bi-annual special Santa Cruz county section of the San Francisco Chronicle will reach bay area subscribers and readership. And a dedicated Visit California e-newsletter about the spring contest with destination content will be sent to their subscriber list.

These marketing efforts are supported by the Tourism Marketing District. The Let’s Cruz Vacation Getaway Contest is sponsored by Visit Santa Cruz County with support from the following partners: Annieglass, Capitola Village BIA, Chaminade Resort & Spa, Dream Inn Santa Cruz, Hotel Paradox, Hyatt Place Santa Cruz, Pajaro Dunes Resort, and the Seascape Beach Resort.

VSCC Partners Meet with Napa Valley Life Magazine

Lester Estate Vineyards with three women and one man posing for picture

VSCC welcomed writer Laurie Jo Miller Farr to Santa Cruz County February 7 – 8 as part of an upcoming article in Napa Valley Life magazine. Laurie’s assignment was to feature visitor, food, and wine-related experiences in our region. As an added benefit of partnering with Visit Santa Cruz County, local businesses had the opportunity to meet with Laurie one-on-one while she was in-market gathering research for her feature story. Laurie began her trip with a beachfront hotel stay at the Santa Cruz Dream Inn before touring some other points of interest.

Laurie visited the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History with a personal tour by Nikki Patterson, Director of Development & Communications. City of Santa Cruz Mayor Sonja Brunner welcomed Laurie to Downtown Santa Cruz with a walking tour which began at Abbott Square Market and included Bookshop Santa Cruz, the clocktower, and the Birichino Tasting Room before Laurie headed to dinner at the Jack O’Neill Lounge and Restaurant. The following day she visited Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Lester Estate Winery, Nicholson Vineyard, Natural Bridges State Beach, Capitola Village, and a personal tour of Annieglass Studios by Ann Morhauser before ending the day at Sanderlings at the Se a scape Beach Resort.

The article is scheduled to be published in the April edition of Napa Valley Life.

Are you interested in hosting visiting media? Email Communications Director Christina Glynn!

2022 Outlook Forum

VSCC staff attended Visit California’s 2022 Outlook Forum, which was held in-person for the first time since 2020. Destinations from around California gathered in San Francisco February 14 – 16 to learn about market insights, the latest trends, and marketing tactics and research. Visit California President and CEO Caroline Beteta provided a snapshot of what the state has planned in 2022 to further the recovery of the tourism industry.

One of the more provocative segments of the conference was the Around the World segment. A representative of Visit California’s international offices – five out of the 14 original offices have been reactivated – shared their insights as to the future of travel to California. Of interest to Santa Cruz County are Canada, the UK, and Germany, which have been identified as the three top inbound and overseas markets for our region. With Canada’s 84 percent vaccination rate, Canadians view returning home and the required PCR test as the biggest obstacle for travel to the U.S. “Trip stacking” – booking multiple trips during one vacation is a trend the state is seeing in that market, in particular for luxury-seeking travelers. Additionally, four new Canadian airlines are announcing routes to California, including Air Transat and the ultra-low fare airline Swoop. Visit California’s German office sees the fly-drive sector as still a strong fit for California, with Germans also seeking more luxury experiences. Guy Chambers, head of Visit California’s UK office reported that the “accidental” savings rate amongst consumers in the UK is three times higher than pre-pandemic levels and with the UK liftings its testing, mask, and quarantine mandates travel to California looks bright.

The Future of Professional Meetings and Events, another workshop and presentation hosted by Julie Coker, CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority, addressed the challenges of this critical off-season market as the pandemic fades. Key takeaways included the idea that meetings are returning to destinations, but are scaled back from past events, and panelists encouraged destinations to recognize their differences and focus on these to attract meeting planners. The topic of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) was addressed and was described as a sustainable value and one that should be part of the sustainable tourism conversation as it relates to meetings.

Did you miss Outlook Forum 2022? Click here to view presentations on-demand through March 31^st!

Am I Dreaming?

In case you missed it, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and a talking “bear” at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park were featured prominently in Visit California’s newest commercial campaign, which first aired in the 30 minutes preceding the Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, February 13^th. The 60-second version of the spot lives on the Visit California homepage, and filming destinations can be found here!

Partner Kudos!

Congratulations to the Chaminade Resort & Spa, which was nominated in several categories by the Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, for earning its Tenth Annual Pebby Awards. The Oscar^™ – inspired Pebby Award nominees were chosen for their outstanding accomplishments in 2021, as determined by the company. Chaminade is up for awards in the categories of Best Actor/Actress (best overall sales and marketing team); Best Overall Score (best overall performance following a prior year major renovation, as measured by increases in market share and operating cash flow; and Best Animated Feature Film (best overall restaurant and/or bar, as measured by profitability, creativity, operating models and guest experience for The View, a Treeside Restaurant). And the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce has named Bonnie Lipscomb, Director, City of Santa Cruz Economic Development Person of the Year for 2022. Congrats all around!

Arrivals and Departures

Welcome to Cynthia De La O, new Corporate Revenue Sales and Marketing Manager at the Beach Street Inn & Suites! Farewell to Greg Pepping, who is leaving his post as Executive Director of the Coastal Watershed Council on June 30^th.

State of the Travel Industry

The U.S. The U.S. Travel Association has just released its National Travel & Tourism Week (NTTW) online toolkit. This toolkit provides graphics, a social media guide, brand guidelines, information on why NTTW is important, and domestic statistics about US travel. This year’s theme, The Future of Travel, will focus on the innovation, technology, and inclusivity of the tourism industry. Watch the theme video here and get ready to celebrate May 1 – 7, 2022!

Did you know……

that Lookout Local has a new job board made by Santa Cruz County residents, for Santa Cruz County residents? This new resource aims to streamline the efforts of both job seekers and those that are hiring.