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.
Wes Rhea 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.
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