Stockton Sees Year-Over-Year Increase In Tourism
STOCKTON (CBS13) - A city that had been plagued with a record number of homicides in 2012 also experienced surprisingly high numbers in the area of tourism.
In a press release issued by The Stockton & Visitors Bureau, these numbers are due to aggressive marketing, meetings and sports sales. Hotels in Stockton experienced a 15.4 percent increase in revenue last year, earning over $34.5 million in a city with a struggling economy over the last few years.
"We are extremely happy with these results," said Wes Rhea, CEO of the Stockton Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We are fortunate to have great hotels to partner with as we continue to work to bring more group and leisure business to Stockton."
The SCVB partnered with Stockton Ports to bring two new baseball events to the Stockton Ballpark.
The SCVB's online and print advertising produced over 40 million impressions throughout all its marketing segments. Visitors to the SCVB website increased more than 40 percent last year to 241, 910. SCVB also used social media, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Allyson Parman visited the city for Tuesday's Carrie Underwood concert and was surprised at what she found.
"Stockton kind of has that, you know, 'don't go to Stockton,' but it's a pretty nice place," she said.
The SCVB also coordinated events in 2012 to encourage Stockton residents to bring meetings to Stockton.
With only two homicides this year so far, the city of Stockton looks to continue its successful tourism campaign from last year.
The SCVB will present its annual report in April to the city council. To read the annual report, click here.
The SCVB is a non-profit corporation designed to promote the city of Stockton.
