The travel industry has been hard hit for the past year during the coronavirus pandemic.
Some hotels in our region are expecting the Easter holiday weekend will bring a boost because of people taking a local staycation.
At the Cliffs Hotel and Spa in Pismo Beach, a steady stream of guests are checking in.
They are wearing masks and standing in line on carefully spaced-out marks.
The hotel has - like so many in our region - limped through a year of closures, restrictions and uncertainty.
General Manager Elise Quick says it’s been a turbulent time for the hotel and their staff, and that they've had to "pivot" and be creative with appealing to guests with options like take-out cocktails or a drive-in Cinco De Mayo celebration, but that she's looking forward to a return to normalcy.
Quick told KCLU that Pismo Beach’s location – away from big cities – is something which is appealing to guests who are in need of a change of scenery but don’t want to risk a city or busy resort during the pandemic.
One hotel guest says she traveled a three hour drive from Watsonville California. It's her first trip away in a year, and says she chose a beach break over the city because she thought it would be a safer choice.
Another guest traveled from San Francisco as part of a road trip to Palm Springs, and says that choosing a location that meant they could be outdoors for safety was a primary factor.
The California Department of Public Health advises against planning celebrations with multiple households over Easter, and strongly recommends staying home or in their region and avoiding non-essential travel.
