DRMumbai: Despite uncertainty in the market with unprecedented political situations and global events, Santa Monica continues to thrive – thanks to a booming tourism industry. Misti Kerns, President & CEO, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT), talks about the growing tourism sector and their plans for India.
What were the key takeaways from the 9th Annual Travel and Tourism Summit?
The biggest takeaway was that the hospitality industry in our beachside city continues to collaborate and display much vibrancy with visitor spending reaching record levels. Now, we are thrilled to be expanding our efforts in India.
2017 was a record year for SMTT. Can you elaborate?
Indeed, 2017 was a record year for tourism in Santa Monica. International visitation grew 12 per cent year-on-year, making it all the more important that we remain active in overseas markets such as India. Visitor spending injected $1.96 billion into the city and generated $54 million for the City of Santa Monica’s general fund through the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). This keeps people employed and provides for many services to our residents and visitors.
2017 was a record year for tourism in Santa Monica. International visitation grew 12 per cent year-on-year, making it all the more important to remain active in overseas markets
Can you share highlights of the 2017 Tourism Economic and Fiscal Impact Report?
The 2017 Economic Impact Report clearly demonstrated the vitality of our local tourism industry – an industry that continues to be one of the largest contributors to Santa Monica’s local economy. In addition to the visitor spending levels, in 2017 alone, $12.1 million was contributed to the city of Santa Monica’s general fund from the retail tax of visitor spending and tourism generated 13,345 local jobs. The dollars generated from visitor spending are reallocated to fund essential city services.
How did you make Santa Monica a city that one can experience without driving?
Santa Monica’s leadership has been proactive in making car-free travel easier for decades, from investing in extended bike lanes (today there are more than 100 miles of bike lanes in the city) or the bike share programme (the first in Los Angeles). This coupled with award-winning public transportation has made Santa Monica one of the top destinations to go car-free in Southern California. Walkability is the number one reason why people choose and book a hotel in Santa Monica. In fact, 83 per cent of overnight visitors don’t use a car to get around once they’ve arrived. At just 8.3 square miles, our city is compact, and thanks to pedestrian-friendly streets there is so much to discover on foot.
Can you share some of the flagship tourism projects and how they drive sustainability?
Santa Monica has long been a leader in sustainability, setting goals for reducing consumption of energy and water and increasing the use of renewable energy and alternative fuels. A number of the city’s top attractions are also green.
The Pacific Wheel on the Santa Monica Pier is the world’s first solar powered ferris wheel and the Annenberg Community Beach house used blue jeans for insulation. Ocean View Hotel, Santa Monica Motel, Shore Hotel and The Ambrose Hotel are LEED Gold certified properties that offer eco-friendly accommodations. Additionally, many hotels in Santa Monica are green business certified, including Hostelling International LA/Santa Monica, Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica and Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
How many Indian visitors did you host in 2017? What has been the YoY growth?
India is a fast growing market for Southern California that has much potential for Santa Monica. In 2017, Los Angeles received 121,000 travellers from India, which represents a 4 per cent growth compared to 2016.
What do you hope to achieve from the India market with the appointment of Sartha Global?
Our top goal with the appointment of Sartha Global is growth in visitation from the Indian market. Sartha Global is an international leader in this market, promoting travel to the United States, California and now Santa Monica specifically. They know the Indian market forwards and backwards and will be able to advise us on strategy.
