Time to be a Tourist in your own Backyard
By Joanne DiBona, Communications Director, jdibona@sdcvb.org
It's a strange thing about human nature that we often take for granted those things that are closest to us. Whether it be in our personal relationships, or how we view our environment, we often don't appreciate what we have right in our own backyards.
Everyone has heard the anecdotes about the millions of New Yorkers who have never visited the Statue of Liberty, or Parisians who have never been atop the Eiffel Tower, or Washington DC residents who've never toured the Capitol building.
It happens to San Diegans too. We take pride in watching the tourists and our visiting friends and relatives enjoy the attractions and beauty of our home, happy in the knowledge that, when the opportunity arises, we too could enjoy everything that makes our region so appealing to visitors from around the world.
Well, that opportunity has now arisen--borne out of unspeakable tragedy resulting in an economic situation that is currently threatening the health of our local visitor industry. The terrorist attacks of September 11 crippled world tourism and San Diego is feeling the pain along with the rest of the nation. We anticipate a loss of 880,000 visitors and $268 million in spending in the last three months of 2001. Our hotel occupancy will most likely hover around 61%, down -22% from the same period last year.
The toll on our work force has been devastating. It is estimated that more than 5,000 hotel employees, representing 20 percent of the full-and part-time hospitality work force, could be laid off as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Furthermore, the jobs of thousands of other employees in dozens of fields directly and indirectly linked to tourism are threatened.
Recently San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy joined local visitor industry leaders in unveiling a new ConVis tourism marketing campaign aimed at boosting the local hospitality sector by encouraging San Diego County residents to get out and "be tourists in your own backyard." Themed Rediscover San Diego, the promotion invites San Diego residents to take advantage of deep discounts offered by local visitor industry partners from November through April 2002. These discounts are available to residents either by logging onto the ConVis website, www.sandiego.org, or by using coupons contained in the special 64-page Rediscover San Diego Activity Values book.
The website will offer special rates from 43 San Diego hotel properties and will be updated periodically, guaranteeing the latest money-saving offers. Also included on the site are discounts from San Diego's major attractions. The coupon book also includes all the major attractions as well as activities such as bicycling, biplanes, hot air ballooning, motorcycle rentals, boat rentals/tours, museums and beach boardwalk amusements.
Dining discounts are offered at some of the region's finest restaurants, and coupons are available for golf courses, shopping centers, spa treatments, gaming and tour/transportation companies.
San Diegans can pick up a coupon book at the ConVis International Visitors Information Center in Horton Plaza (619 236-1212) or at any one of the 16 outlets of the Visitor Center Network.
The local Rediscover San Diego promotion is part of a larger, regional ConVis ad campaign just launched in our drive markets in California, Arizona and Nevada. Our goal is to attract the visitors from close-in markets who may have cancelled vacations in other parts of the country, or overseas, and who are now looking for alternative visitor destinations. Our campaign logo, "San Diego. . . .Where to Be," sums up what we can offer these visitors--a relaxing respite in troubled times where those of all ages and interest can refresh their bodies and spirits. What's good for these visitors is also good for every San Diegan. Taking a vacation in our own back yard has two distinct advantages: we will rediscover what the rest of the world knows--that San Diego is one of America's premiere vacation destinations.
And, more importantly, we will do our share to support one of our region's most important industries, as well as all the individuals and families whose livelihoods depend upon the health of San Diego tourism.
So grab your overnight bags, book a local hotel room, go out to eat, visit an attraction, get tickets to a play, take a harbor cruise, spend an afternoon in the mountains or desert, learn how to scuba dive, buy a San Diego t-shirt--the list goes on and on. You get the message--be a tourist in your own back yard and do your part to help jumpstart San Diego's ailing visitor industry.
