SLO County buys ads telling Valley tourists: ‘Now is not the time’
San Luis Obispo County is running online ads telling potential visitors that “while we love having you visit, now is not the time,” and other messages meant to discourage tourism during the shelter-at-home order.
It plans to spend up to $9,000 on a campaign launched Monday that primarily targets travelers in the San Joaquin Valley, the county’s strongest tourism market.
Visitors from outside the county are one of the roadblocks on the county’s path to reopening, along with traveling Cal Poly students and low population-wide immunity, according to the county’s now-shelved START Guide.
The county planned to move forward last week to allow several business sectors to reopen, but county statistics fall short of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s criteria for the number of local confirmed coronavirus cases over the last two weeks.
Recently, the county was spared from Newsom’s forced beach closures that were limited to Orange County. Yet, weekend visitors have come to SLO County to stay in second homes, play in the sand, and dine take-out in popular tourist destinations like Morro Bay and Pismo Beach.
It’s likely that tourism, including from epidemic hot spots, will only increase as the weather warms and people get tired of staying at home. The county is worried that those visitors could prolong shelter restrictions on the Central Coast by spreading the virus.
Already, county social media ads have targeted residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco metro areas as well as from the Central Valley at a cost of around $300.
A new campaign launched with Verdin Marketing on Monday specifically targets Fresno, Bakersfield and Visalia residents.
A county spokesperson said the messaging is meant to tell potential tourists that, “though we value visitors and look forward to when they can come visit again, the Central Coast is not yet open to tourism.“ Ad copy seen on a county-sponsored Facebook post Wednesday is less direct.
“From the valley to the coast, let’s keep all of our families safe. San Luis Obispo County is proud to be your home away from home, but right now staying home is the way to beat COVID-19. #staysafe #stayhome #flattenthecurve,” reads a sponsored post on Facebook.
Viewers are directed to a “Vacation at Home” website.
The county has said it won’t allow the opening of businesses that go beyond the statewide shelter order. New business openings Friday were limited to retail shops, which can now offer curbside pickup.
Businesses have lost significant revenue during the stay-at-home order, some because they were forced to close and others because their tourist customers have not been traveling here. Hotels and restaurants, have been allowed to stay open, for example.
On Wednesday, Chuck Davison, CEO of Visit SLO CAL, said hotel occupancy this spring has plummeted to 15%. It was as high as 74% at this time a year ago. At least half of the county’s 23,000 tourism workers are out of work, he added.
Visit SLO CAL and other organizations are supporting RecoverCentralCoast.org, a website that provides financial support resources available to local businesses impacted by COVID-19, including information about county and city fees and taxes that will be waived for certain reporting periods.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 6:00 PM with the headline "SLO County buys ads telling Valley tourists: ‘Now is not the time’."
