Evolving Travel Habits Bolster Santa Barbara Tourist Trade

SANTA BARBARA, CA— Travelers who are staying closer to home, driving more instead of flying and spending less time away have helped to bolster the tourist trade here, said local industry professionals. They said this has helped Santa Barbara Countys group and conference business rebound from the tragic events of 9/11 that hobbled the tourism industry worldwide. At the Rancho Santa Barbara Marriott in Buellton, for example, the events of 9/11 had an immediate and negative impact on the hotels business, but things have rebounded, according to Kristine Jacobs, director/sales and marketing for the 149-room hotel. The Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara areas have not been impacted as much as other places around the state and nation, she added, largely because it draws many visitors who can reach the area by car. The Rancho Santa Barbara Marriott caters to group and convention business and leisure travelers who come mostly from California, Nevada and Arizona. Conference activity at the hotel this summer “was very strong,” Jacobs added. Meeting planners, however, arent booking meetings far in advance at the Buellton hotel. The short lead time for group bookings also has been a trend this year at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara. Group and conference business is back up to near normal levels, said Tim Bridwell, general manager, even with the Sept. 11 anniversary dominating this weeks calendar. The 360-room Doubletree offers the most rooms and largest conference space in the county, with 47,000 square feet of meeting facilities. The downturn in international travel, especially for Americans traveling abroad, actually helped the conference business at the Bacara Resort & Spa, said Sheri Broedlow, public relations manager. Some businesses that were planning to go overseas for conferences decided to stay closer to home and ended up booking their event at the Bacara, she added. “We managed to capture some high-end groups.” This exchange for events closer to home versus cross-country or overseas comprised the bulk of bookings at the Bacara for about six months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Broedlow said. Source: Santa Barbara News-Press