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S U N DA Y, M A Y 31, 2 0 2 0
‘A great outdoor escape’ Consumer trends paint positive picture for Santa Barbara County as cities prepare to welcome back tourists
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Hundreds of people protesting the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis gather in front of Storke Tower on the UC Santa Barbara campus on Saturday.
Locals protest death of George Floyd By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
A large crowd visits Carpinteria State Beach as Santa Barbara County strives to see a re-emergence of tourism.
By CHRISTIAN WHITTLE NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Restaurants and retail in Santa Barbara County are reopening under stage two of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan for the state, and as they do, cities from Carpinteria to Solvang are making plans to bring back the region’s most vital industry: Tourism. Santa Barbara County is now officially in the latter half of stage two, where hotels only open for essential travelers, and must wait to move into stage three to invite leisure travelers to the area. Nevertheless, organizations like Visit Santa Barbara and the Carpinteria Chamber of Commerce have been laying the groundwork for when tourists are able to visit the county once again. After encouraging locals to return to restaurants and retail while practicing social distancing, Visit Santa Barbara is preparing messaging about why Santa Barbara is a compelling travel destination. “Visit Santa Barbara has been finalizing our marketing plan for the South Coast’s reopening so that it’s ready to roll out when stayat-home measures are lifted,” said Kathy Janega-Dykes, president and CEO of Visit Santa Barbara. “Since financial resources are tight, digital advertising and marketing channels will be focal points of the campaign,” she said. “We’ll be featuring beautiful, compelling images and messages that inspire travel, by showcasing travelers’ interests and balancing the sensitivities of the moment.” By keeping up with weekly
Successful SpaceX launch makes American history By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
For the first time in American history, a pair of NASA astronauts were launched in a commercially built and operated
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national traveler sentiment surveys, Visit Santa Barbara is preparing for travelers seeking coastal destinations like Santa Barbara that offer a lot of space and ample room for social distancing, Ms. Janega-Dykes told the News-Press. “In the initial months when fear and uncertainty are still
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American crew spacecraft on Saturday en route to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Please see launch on A3
People visit Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.
People enjoy time at West Beach in Santa Barbara.
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Hundreds of Isla Vista residents marched from Storke Tower down to Sands Beach Saturday afternoon in Isla Vista to protest the death of George Floyd. The group of mainly students and a few members of the nearby community gathered at the tower around noon. Masks were distributed and caution tape was set up in front of the tower to remind attendees to keep a safe distance from each other due to the coronavirus pandemic. A similar rally was held Friday night in Santa Barbara, with residents gathering at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse and marching down State Street.
While a number of rallies held throughout the country in recent days have resulted in mass looting and clashes with law enforcement, the two rallies held locally were conducted peacefully and no noteworthy incidents were reported. “They were loud, but that’s about it,” Lt. Aaron Baker, spokesman for the Santa Barbara Police Department, told the News-Press on Friday night following the march. During Saturday’s rally, the group shouted chants of “Black Lives Matter” and “No justice, no peace” as they made their way through I.V. Upon reaching the trailhead of the beach, the group paused and held a 30 second Please see protest on A2
prevalent, they’ll also be staying closer to home and taking more road trips. So, it makes sense to position Santa Barbara as a great outdoor escape for people in drive markets who desperately need a change of scenery,” said Ms. Janega-Dykes. “Surveys also show that travelers will be receptive to destinations they already have familiarity and positive associations with. Californians already have awareness, interest and an affinity for Santa Barbara, which will create a sense of security.” As a community heavily reliant on tourism, Santa Barbara has its work cut out getting the industry up and running after two months of heavy losses. According to Ms. JanegaDykes, about 20% of South Coast hotels have closed temporarily, and for those that remain open, occupancy, rates and revenue have plummeted. Massive furloughs and layoffs in the restaurant and retail sector have also been the norm, not only harming businesses, but also city and county tax revenues. The city of Santa Barbara recently reported that the TOT taxes collected for April, just over
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$110,000, was a 93% decrease compared to the same time period last year. In Solvang, the city has seen its tax revenue drop by $500,000 per month as tourism has ceased. The task of marketing Solvang’s tourism as the city reopens has fallen to IDK Events, a San Francisco based event production company contracted by the city in January after its success with Julefest 2020. Like Visit Santa Barbara, IDK Events is not aggressively marketing to tourists yet, but is keeping a close eye on consumer sentiment in preparation for a marketing campaign directed at Californians close to the area. “They want to focus on road trips, they want to focus on areas that are smaller that they consider safe, so if you look at a Venn diagram there’s a lot of overlap with Solvang. We’re really excited and feel positive that Solvang is going to benefit from this change in the short-term in tourism sentiment,” said Scott Shuemake, president of IDK Events. IDK Events’ initial marketing will be focused on areas within 300 miles, including residents in the Santa Ynez Valley within 30 Please see TOURISM on A3
COURTESY PHOTO
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched into orbit from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, carrying a pair of astronauts to the International Space Station.
Waiting for the arts show
DAVE MASON / NEWS-PRESS
The Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show, a 54-year-old Sunday tradition along Cabrillo Boulevard, might be reopening sooner than expected. Marilyn Dannehower, pictured in front of Stearns Wharf, chairs the show’s ad hoc advertising committee. She and others talk about the show, which has 140 artists, in today’s Life section story on B1.
LOTTERY RESULTS Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 6-13-21-36-38 Meganumber: 25 Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 10-13-32-41-51 Meganumber: 3 Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 03-02-04 TIME: 1:45.32 Saturday’s Daily 3: 0-3-8 / Evening: 0-1-9
Saturday’s DAILY 4: 9-4-9-1 Saturday’s FANTASY 5: 2-7-30-31-35 Saturday’s POWERBALL: 13-32-41-58-60 Meganumber: 14