California tourism shifts focus to domestic travelers

This generates taxes for jurisdictions, which provides services for full-time residents.

“Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is indeed seeing a continued and growing interest in domestic travel, particularly among guests seeking luxury getaways without the need for international flights or passports,” spokesperson Michelle Heston said.

More people are staying three to five nights at the Sonoma property, instead of the traditional weekend getaway. This in part has to do with the resort seeing an uptick in guests arriving from across the country — particularly from Texas, New York, and Chicago.

“Our teams are welcoming more first time visitors from regions that historically did not make up a large portion of our guest base, including the Midwest and Southeastern U.S.,” Heston told the Journal.

She said Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is “projecting a healthy increase in domestic bookings year over year.”

While Archer Hotel in Napa in large part relies on the Bay Area and Sacramento drive markets, lately its clientele is coming from other ZIP codes.

“While our latest stats don’t show dramatic shifts, we’re seeing clear patterns that point to strong domestic travel: shorter booking windows, continued strength from California’s drive markets, and a steady stream of guests from Texas, the Midwest, and the East Coast,” General Manager Chris Costas said.

At The George, a small boutique hotel in Napa, owner Kiki Theodorides is noticing the entire Napa Valley is less “crazy” than the past few years.

“We are focusing on more travels of Californians that are maybe road tripping or even more local who want a great staycation of food and wine,” she said. “Financially, rates have dipped a little for weekdays stays, but weekends of course stay strong.”

Monica Cruz-Hernandez, marketing manager for Casa Madrona Hotel and Spa in Sausalito, says it feels a bit like the pandemic in that people are being cautious about where they go and how much they spend, with many opting for stays closer to home.

She is banking on people who haven’t discovered this quaint town on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.,

“If you can’t make it to Italy, Sausalito has almost that feeling and vibe,” Curz-Hernandez said.

Plus, she points out, it’s a lot closer than Napa for those coming from San Francisco.

Beyond the hotel

Room nights mean jobs, people dining out, as well as participating in local activities such as wine tasting, balloon rides, and getting on the water.

If people aren’t in town, ancillary tourism businesses feel the economic pinch immediately. That’s why these businesses are doing what they can to draw people to the area.

“We definitely are working to make a visit to River’s Edge and Healdsburg a bigger vacation destination. For example, in addition to our regular 5 mile Rio Trip, this year we’ll be offering daily afternoon boat rentals, slushies from Chateau Diana, delivered box lunches and drinks so that people can come spend the whole day out with us, regardless of whether they come in the morning or the afternoon,” said Kim Lockhart, who owns the paddling company with husband David.

The business is also partnering with neighboring businesses to expand experiences for guests. Lockhart had a corporate group wanting to extend their day beyond paddling so she helped arrange for a nearby wine experience.

During the pandemic when people opted for more domestic travel, River’s Edge boomed. Fingers are crossed the same is true this season.

“But I also feel sad for people who are losing their jobs in science and education, which is why this summer I’m offering a 15% off discount to all teachers, librarians, scientists and first responders on Thursdays and Fridays,” Lockhart said. “The discounts are for people who try their best to keep us smart, sane and safe. I also spelled out NOAA and a heart in kayaks (in April) to show appreciation for weather scientists. We could not have our business without forecasting tools. We would have lost all of our inventory.”

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo has long relied on the surrounding drive market.

“While the pandemic created pent-up demand for long-haul journeys, in the current landscape we are seeing renewed interest in discovering, or rediscovering, one’s own backyard,” spokesperson Sara Gorgon said.

The Napa Valley Wine Train, now in its 36th year, sees customers from throughout the world.

However, General Manager Nathan Davis isn’t too worried about people traveling domestically because in a normal year 70% of his customers are Californians.

“We do market to other states and find that customers who come ride the train from out of state are also states that tend toward wine as a beverage of choice. States like Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois, particularly Chicago,” Davis said. “They all are coming as they always have, and we are excited to see some states with interest from new places like Georgia, Atlanta in particular, Nashville, and Arizona.”

Jared Kimball, who owns Napa Valley Aloft, is projecting a 10% to 15% increase in summer bookings compared to last year.

“At Napa Valley Aloft, we’ve seen a clear shift toward domestic travel and have embraced the growing ‘no passport needed’ trend,” Kimball said. “Demand from across California, particularly Southern California, has been strong, and overall domestic interest continues to rise. At the same time, we’ve seen a noticeable decline in international visitors, especially from Asia and Europe market, making it even more important to engage U.S. travelers rediscovering iconic destinations like Napa.”