2024 Q2 REPORT | APRIL 2024 - JUNE 2024
A LETTER FROM THE CEO
Welcome to Summer!
It has arrived quickly, and we hope you are enjoying the warmth while staying safe and hydrated as you explore Stockton and our region. The Visit Stockton team has been bustling with activity over the past few months. Before we delve into the highlights, let’s take a moment to discuss the progress of the local travel economy.
The first half of 2024 has been intriguing, to say the least. Our lodging occupancy for the first four months of the year experienced year-over-year double-digit declines due to economic uncertainty and the impacts of inflation on travel behavior. May fared slightly better, with occupancy down just over 3%. However, with rates softening, revenue dropped by nearly 7.3%. While the final June numbers are not in, we anticipate a similar year-over-year decrease in revenue.
On a positive note, 2023 continued to experience strong visitor spending. While down 1.4%, visitors spent $378 million in Stockton last year. Yes folks, on average, visitors spend over $1 million a day in Stockton, supporting restaurants, retail, lodging, attractions, and more, injecting much-needed tax dollars into our community which supports a wide array of essential city services.
As mentioned earlier, the Visit Stockton team had a busy second quarter. This report highlights the activity during that period, but I want to take a moment to express my immense pride in our team’s achievements in this past quarter.
• On April 17, Visit Stockton held our annual State of Travel Breakfast at the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel. While the focus was on recapping 2023, the highlight was recognizing six
individuals in our community with our Hospitality Awards for their contributions to our tourism community. See who was recognized on page 3.
• From May 6 to 8, Visit Stockton partnered with the California Collegiate Athletic Association to host the NCAA DII Women’s Golf Regionals at Brookside Country Club. Our team orchestrated an outstanding event, showcasing our strong collaboration with our collegiate partners.
• The very next week, we embarked on the setup for the award-winning 3rd Annual Stockton Flavor Fest (May 17-19). This three-day festival, held in Downtown Stockton, was another safe and familyfriendly event. While attendance fell short of expectations, the Visit Stockton team is extremely proud of this one-of-a-kind, high-quality, signature festival.
I can’t express how happy I am with our team’s unwavering dedication and accomplishments. We continue to make our mark, and I am confident that we will thrive in our future efforts.
Lastly, I want to acknowledge a team departure. Amy Alpers is moving on to a
fantastic opportunity at Visit California. Amy has been instrumental in Visit Stockton’s events, marketing, and awards over the past few years (and has been an amazing podcast co-host). We wish Amy the best in her new adventure and look forward to growing our partnership in her new role.
Please take a moment to review this report, reflecting on our accomplishments this past quarter and the exciting plans ahead. If you have any questions or suggestions, we encourage you to share them with me or any member of the Visit Stockton team. We value your input and look forward to working together towards continued success.
Chief Executive Officer
Awards and Recognition
Wes Rhea, CDME
Destination Organization Leadership Award
Destinations International
This award is one of the association’s highest honors, recognizing individuals whose exceptional work and achievements have significantly impacted the destination marketing industry and their communities.
Wesley Sosa, PDM 30 Under 30
Destinations International
Annually, 30 industry leaders under 30 are selected for valuable networking and professional development opportunities. The 2024 class, representing 30 destinations and 4 countries, spans diverse job disciplines.
CURRENT EFFORTS
TBID Renewal
As we near the completion of our most recent Stockton Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) plan, we are diligently working with our Civitas partners to prepare for the next bid cycle. The team is creating detailed documents and reports to showcase the work Visit Stockton has accomplished over the past bid cycle, highlighting the benefits and economic impact brought to our community by this initiative and our visitors.
Petitions will be distributed to our hotel partners in late summer, and we are excited to begin our next cycle of promoting Stockton to both residents and visitors!
Feast at the Fox 2024
The Events team has been diligently reimagining the Feast at the Fox event, which will be held on Friday, September 6th. This new date and season presents a variety of fresh produce offerings, new opportunities to partner with local restaurants, and an expanded guest count.
Stay tuned for sponsorship details, ticket information, and more about this unique event under the Bob Hope Theatre marquee!
Sport City Golf Tourney
Prepare for a lively fall day on the green while supporting a great cause! The Sport City Golf Tourney will be held on Friday, October 18th at The Reserve by Spanos Park. This event will feature beloved traditions from previous years, including breakfast, an auction and awards luncheon, a shotgun start, and plenty of fun. We will have sponsor activations throughout the course, treats along the way, and all proceeds will support the Stockton Sports Commission.
The Commission’s mission is to raise funds to attract youth, minor, and professional sporting events to our community.
The marketing team is working in close collaboration with our hotel partners to create personalized promotional videos that highlight the unique features of each property. These videos will showcase a variety of elements, from versatile meeting spaces to scenic outdoor lounges, and will serve as valuable assets for both the hotels and our marketing efforts. This initiative aims to position Stockton as a premier destination for visitors.
Direct Travel Impact Data, compiled by Dean Runyan Associates, describes the economic impact of travel to and through our community, including detailed estimates of travel spending, the employment and earnings generated by this spending, and travel-generated tax receipts.
This information is important because it allows us to assess how the business of travel impacts our tax base, and what sort of burden they would face if we didn’t support the industry.
If you are a hotelier in Stockton interested in developing a promotional video for your property, please contact wes@visitstockton.org. $378.2 million
Hotel Promo Videos
SUMMARY OF EFFORTS
Tourism Breakfast
The Annual State of Travel Tourism Breakfast was a pivotal gathering where we reflected on the successes and narratives of 2023, while also charting the course for our future programming, campaigns, and events.
We were excited to announce the return of the Hospitality Awards, a ceremony dedicated to recognizing the outstanding individuals who have played a pivotal role in enhancing our tourism offerings. Below is a list of our Hospitality Awards winners. Thank you for all you do!
James Reed, Stockton Civic Theatre Inc - Remarkable Attraction Staff Award
Britany Brown, German Guys Restaurant - Excellent Customer Service Award
Felicia Del Carmen, @feesfoodielife - Community Ambassador Award
Johnny Harness, Downtown Stockton Alliance - Hospitality Hero Award
Loni Saldana, La Quinta Inn Stockton - Leadership Award
Marissa Cabusas, The Reserve at Spanos Park - Remarkable Attraction Staff Award
Visit California Media: H2O Excursion & Cambodian Buddhist Temple
Visit California approached our marketing department with two exciting opportunities to showcase our community through their partner channels, focusing on both trade and global branding. The Global Brand team collaborated with H2O Excursions to highlight our waterways, with content now featured on Visit California’s Travel + Leisure Magazine microsite. Additionally, the Trade team worked with the Cambodian Buddhist Temple to gather social content, which is now featured on both their owned channels and shared with operators. We extend our sincere thanks to Visit California for spotlighting Stockton in their campaigns!
Website Redesign
Stockton Flavor Fest 2024
The 3rd annual Stockton Flavor Fest was held at Weber Point Events Center from May 17-19, 2024. The event boasted a diverse lineup of food and artist vendors, global music and cultural performances, artist workshops and installations, live kitchen demonstrations, strolling entertainment, and more. This family-friendly festival beautifully showcased the diversity and creativity of our community. We are proud to have provided a cost-effective and vibrant experience for both locals and visitors once again.
In collaboration with our website and CRM provider, Tempest, we were thrilled to announce the launch of a redesigned Visit Stockton website. This revitalized platform was designed to mirror the vibrancy, diversity, and distinctiveness of our city, serving as a bold representation of our identity amidst competition. While retaining beloved features such as event listings and blogs, the new website also showcases enhanced character and highlights specific to our brand, offering visitors a more engaging and immersive experience.
Pacific Cup Water Polo Tournament: Beer Garden
The University of the Pacific Men’s Water Polo program hosted its firstever spring tournament, welcoming six of the top-ranked programs in the country and the USA Youth National Team for the Inaugural Pacific Cup.
The Visit Stockton hosted a beer garden for the nearly 400 family and friends of the participating athletes.
180
Room Nights 563 Visitors $235,058
Total Business Sales
NCAA Division II Women’s Golf West Regional
Visit Stockton co-hosted the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf West Regional with the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) at Brookside Country Club for the second time in three years.
The May 2024 event welcomed 12 teams and six individuals, with all but five participating teams or individuals traveling from Canada, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Texas.
287
Room Nights
$201,706
Total Business Sales
Source: Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
SOCIAL PROFILE PERFORMANCE
Source: Sprout Social
Source: Localhood
Source: Mailchimp
Source: Youtube Studio