Travel & Cruise Firm Relaunches its Web Site
The local tourism industry enjoyed a banner summer, according to the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The bureau’s visitor index, which charts the overall health of the industry, increased 11 points for June, July and August when compared to the same time last year.
Visitor spending also increased 6.7 percent to $1.6 billion this summer. There were 4.5 million overnight visitors, an increase of 3.2 percent. The average room rate, $113, was a 7.2 percent increase over last summer.
Hotel occupancy during the summer months was 83.9 percent, an increase of 1.8 percent over last summer.
According to ConVis, the summer statistics reflect what’s been happening the entire year. So far, there have been 10.3 million overnight visitors, and they have spent more than $3.6 billion during their stays.
Attraction attendence is up 3.2 percent, from 7,137,896 last summer to 7,368,099 this year.
ConVis offered one more upbeat note: The average hotel room rate in the county exceeded $100 each month of this year. It’s an all-time first for the local industry, according to ConVis.
On another note, convention business was down this summer, with trade shows slipping 20 percent, from 15 last year to 12 this year.
In turn, delegate attendance over the summer dropped 35.6 percent, from 109,100 last year to 70,300 this year. Room nights decreased 44.2 percent, from 180,628 last year to 100,785 this year. As a result, delegate spending dropped 45.9 percent, from $89,530,896 last year to $48,424,978 this year.
According to Joanne DiBona, director of communications for ConVis, what appears to be a slip in convention business was the result of two factors. First, the Lions Club convened in San Diego at the end of June 1999, booking 50,000 room nights and spending $20 million in San Diego. Also, conventions were lost due to the delay in the Convention Center expansion, DiBona said.
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Site-Seeing: Local company Anderson Travel & Cruises relaunched its Web site. The site features a live chat option with Anderson agents from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.
Although consumers are increasingly shopping for deals on the Internet, the majority of travel is still booked offline, through travel agents, said Brad Anderson, president of the agency.
Checking In: The Best Western Inn by the Sea, located in La Jolla, recently received the Best Western Director’s Award for outstanding quality standards. Legoland California recently opened its newest ride, a dual track roller coaster called Spellbreaker. The theme park would not disclose the ride’s cost. Look for honoree Lorenzo Lamas to make a particular impact at Behind the Screens, a San Diego Film Commission event that recognizes individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions toward promoting Film Production in San Diego. Lamas will be performing motorcycle stunts as part of the production, which will be at the Sheraton Harbor Island on Nov. 4.
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Arts Plans: Three separate plans for a proposed cultural arts center in downtown Chula Vista are being presented at 6 p.m. Oct. 23. The three plans outline various options, including museum space, theater space of different sizes, studio and classroom space, a media arts theater for film and video and gallery space.
Each of the plans use the recently closed Cinema Star 6-plex on Third Avenue as the possible location. The building would have to be purchased and renovated by the city.
According to a release from the city of Chula Vista, a final report is expected to be presented to council members in late November.
The deadline for the next tourism & hospitality column is Oct. 26. Rodrigues can be reached at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 107, or via E-mail at trodrigues@sdbj.com.
