Oceanside, Calif.- May 18, 2020— Like other California destinations, the North San Diego beach community of Oceanside was experiencing record travel industry growth before grinding to a halt in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A newly released study for Visit Oceanside by Dean Runyan and Associates confirms that in 2019 Oceanside once again enjoyed an increase in visitors and travel spending, which translated to thousands of tourism related jobs and record local taxes for the City of Oceanside.
“The growth from the last ten years really emphasizes how tourism is a powerful economic engine for our City and our local economy,” said Leslee Gaul, CEO of Visit Oceanside. “While we know that 2020 data will look much different, the success of 2019 and the last decade is a benchmark for the future and a motivating goal for our industry’s recovery.”
Although 2020 currently paints a very different picture for tourism, Visit Oceanside notes several factors that indicate Oceanside is well poised for recovery. There’s pent up demand for travel and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) expects destinations along California coastlines to be among the first to rebound. Work continues on the flagship Oceanside Beach Resorts, which will add to Oceanside’s growing cachet as a vacation destination, while introducing new accommodations, restaurant and recreation options for visitors and locals in early 2021. There’s also the resilient spirit of Oceanside’s passionate locals who are eager to rebuild the City’s tourism economy.
As restrictions ease, Visit Oceanside expects staycations— defined as visitors coming from places within an hour’s drive— to make up a larger portion of overnight tourism business than in the past. Historically, the largest percentage of Oceanside visitors, around 38 percent, have come from drive markets in California and Arizona.
Visit Oceanside predicts that many of its hotels, restaurants, museums, recreational amenities and attractions will be enticing locals with specials and programs that make it easy and fun to be a visitor in their own backyard. Already, the Comfort Suites Oceanside is offering day rooms for $45 per day to people who need a quiet place to work or relax away from home.
According to the 2019 Dean Runyan study, travel spending in Oceanside in 2019 was $415 million, representing an 8.5 percent increase from 2018 and 79 percent increase from 2010. Visitor spending directly supported more than 3,500 jobs in Oceanside with tourism industry employment increasing at an average annual rate of 3.4 percent over the past decade and employment earnings up 9 percent from 2018.
Visitor spending on lodging generated record high local tax receipts of $12.8 million. The tax receipts, including TOT and sales tax, help the City of Oceanside support essential city services that residents enjoy including parks, recreation and public safety.
In addition to providing revenue for the City, tourism is important to many of Oceanside’s small businesses. Nearly 73 percent of visitor spending goes to businesses other than lodging, with the largest portion of visitor dollars spent in restaurants followed by arts, entertainment and recreation.
“Destination research is telling us that people still want to travel and more importantly, need it for their mental health,” said Gaul. “Every day our Welcome Center is fielding calls from people looking for vacation options closer to home where they can unwind, destress and relax when the time is right. What’s more, many of these visitors find value in supporting the local economy and neighborhood businesses that have suffered tremendously during this time.”
“Our restaurants, museums and hotels have shown an amazing ability to rally around the community and those in need during this pandemic. When safe to travel again, it will be important that these businesses and attractions are supported by the community in return. As the 2019 data shows, when we all work together as a community, we can achieve great things and lift each other higher,” said Gaul.
For more information about Visit Oceanside, visit www.visitoceanside.org.
About Visit Oceanside
Visit Oceanside Conference and Visitors Bureau is the official tourism marketing organization in Oceanside, Calif; promoting travel to the city for both leisure and group visitors. The organization influences about one-third of the $415 million that is generated by visitor spending in Oceanside each year, which supports more than 3,500 jobs. Visit Oceanside also operates one of the state’s official California Welcome Centers. With just one stop, visitors can find local, regional and state maps, purchase discount tickets to major Southern California attractions, make hotel reservations or shop for the perfect California keepsake. The Visit Oceanside CVB and California Welcome Center- Oceanside are conveniently located just off Interstate 5 at 928 North Coast Highway. For more information, please call (800) 350-7873 or visit www.visitoceanside.org
