International travel is in decline across the country, but how does that impact the sizable tourism industry in Santa Barbara?
"Uncertain is the way that everyone is characterizing the current market conditions," said Kathy Janega-Dykes, President and CEO of Visit Santa Barbara.
She added that the tourism industry is important to the local economy.
"We attract about six and a half million visitors to the Santa Barbara South Coast, and they spend over $2.2 billion annually," she told KCLU on Thursday at the 2025 Annual General Meeting of Visit Santa Barbara.
Janega-Dykes told local industry leaders that the World Cup and Olympic Games could be good news for the industry amid economic uncertainty.
"This is the decade of big sporting events, so we will start to see more people coming from all parts of the world enjoying the FIFA World Cup, back-to-back Super Bowls, and then the Olympics."
She said the city has a lot to offer to those looking for a break without using their passport.
"Some people may choose to reschedule their big trips, trips that maybe were abroad, and choose to stay locally. We certainly saw that during the pandemic. We all need to be visitors in our own hometown, right?"
It’s a sentiment echoed by Tom Patton, General Manager of the Ramada by Wyndham Santa Barbara, who said being a drive-to destination keeps Santa Barbara tourism resilient amid a decline in international travelers coming to the U.S.
"This year has been the year of uncertainty," he told KCLU. "We miss our friends to the north in Canada. They're not coming in the numbers that they usually do, and our visitors from further abroad. So far, fortunately, we've held up. It's vacationing without a passport."
