VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH
FY 24-25 ANNUAL REPORT
1 FY 23-24 HIGHLIGHTS
2 2023 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM
3 $565.3 MILLION DIRECT VISITOR SPENDING IN HB
• Average of $251.70 per visitor per day
• More than 65% is spent in local businesses other than accommodations. $20.6 MILLION IN LOCAL TAX REVENUES GENERATED BY TOURISM IN HB • Enough to fund the annual salaries of about 291 police officers. 5,499 JOBS SUSTAINED DIRECTLY BY TOURISM IN HB
• Tourism accounts for 1 in 10 of all jobs (or 9.8%) in HB. • 6th largest employer in Huntington Beach
Sources: BLS, BEA, Tourism Economics in conjunction with the City of Huntington Beach
IN HUNTINGTON BEACH
2023 VISITOR PERSONAS Age Range Avg. HHI Education Avg. Family Size Interests Avg. Vacation Spend LAID BACK LUXURY TRAVELER 38 - 57 $142K per year Bachelor's Degree Post Graduate Degree
2.51 No children in the
Household
Internet/eCommerce, Credit
Cards, Family, Charities, Cooking,
Gifts, Home Décor, Gardening,
Sports
$2K - $6K
ACTIVE FAMILY 30 - 39 $130K per year Bachelor's Degree 2.76 Children in Household
Family, Credit Card, Trucks,
Sports, Gourmet Foods
$1K - $3K
THRIVING MILLENNIAL 20 - 38 $125K per year High School Diploma, Associate Degree,
Bachelor's Degree
2.71 Roommates or partner.
No children in Household
Credit cards, Magazines, Books,
Charities, Family, Gifts, Travel
$750 - $1,500
2023 HUNTINGTON BEACH VISITOR PROFILE
4 2.25 MILLION TOTAL VISITORS TO
HUNTINGTON BEACH IN 2023
A visitor is defined as someone “visiting Huntington Beach for the day or overnight, who resides outside the geographic boundaries of Orange County.” Sources: Tourism Economics, The Atkins Group, Predictive Labs, Datafy AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY: 2.3 NIGHTS
59% ARE FIRST-TIME VISITORS
Most Visited Day: Saturday
Least Visited Day: Tuesday
TOP DMA VISITATION:
Phoenix-Prescott, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Seattle-Tacoma, New York, Chicago, Houston, Portland #MOREHB MARKETING CAMPAIGN
5 Visit Huntington Beach'shighly targeted campaign media buy investment developed to generate leisure bookings, increase web traffic to SurfCityUSA.com, and increase awareness of the destination, hotel and resort properties during the hotel needs period, launched on November 15 and ran through June 2024.
26.2 MILLION TOTAL IMPRESSIONS
117.23K TOTAL CLICKS
15,890 HOTEL NIGHTS
TOP RESPONSE MARKETS: San Jose, San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Plano, Corona/San Bernardino area, Oakland, Seattle, Las Vegas.
Campaign outpaced projections by 19%
VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH WEBSITE
SURFCITYUSA.COM
USERS
1.2M
(UP 17.6% YoY)
SESSIONS
1.42M
(UP 9.2% YoY)
PAGEVIEWS
3.1 MILLION
(UP 45.2% YoY)
AVERAGE TIME ON SITE
1:20
(DOWN 4.7% YoY)
DESIGN & TECH ACCOLADES
6 JUL Y 2023 – JUNE 2024 PERFORMANCE
6 SOCIAL MEDIA
JUL Y 2023 – JUNE 2024 PERFORMANCE
7 COMMUNITY
• Instagram: 117,841 followers
• Increase community by 10% (from
112,000 to 123,200 followers) Results:
96% Achieved.
• Facebook: 117,841 followers
• Increase community by 10% (from 84,000
to 92,400 followers) Results: 93%
Achieved.
• LinkedIn: 3,653 followers
• Increase community by 15% (from 3,246
to 3,733 followers) Results: 98% Achieved.
• Threads: 16,300 followers
• Build new community 14,500 followers.
Results: 112% Achieved.
ENGAGEMENT
• Instagram: 199,000 engagements
• UP 10.8% YoY
• Facebook: 97,000 engagements
• UP 4% YoY
• LinkedIn: 11,358 engagements
• UP 275% YoY
• Pinterest: 37,725 engagements
• UP 278% YoY
8 PUBLIC RELATIONS
Recent Coverage
Accolades / Best of OC
FAMs
VHB HAS HOSTED
30 JOURNALISTS
9 INFLUENCERS
AUDIENCE:
AND
EST. VIEWS:1.15M
245M
Note: Metrics are for press trip media coverage only. M= Million; K= Thousand LOCATIONS INCLUDED:
US, CANADA, UK, AUSTRALIA,
MEXICO, GERMANY , AND JAPAN
Lauren Dana Ellman, US
Time Out, Condé Nast
Michele Jarvie, CAN
Calgary Herald
Brie Wurtz, CAN
@vancitywild
Ruby the Corgi, US
@ruby_thecorgi
Flora Davenport, UK
Stylist Magazine
Alexia Dellner, US
PureWow
Dominic Bliss, UK
The Independent
Kelcie Miller-Anderson, CAN
@thechronic_explorer
Surpassed goal +14
Surpassed goal +2
Surpassed goal +83M
Surpassed goal + 590K
PRESS TRIP RESULTS PRESS TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
9 PUBLIC RELATIONS MEDIA COVERAGE
HIGHLIGHTS
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
10 IPW LOS ANGELES 2024
ACCESSIBILE TRAVEL
PRE-IPW VIP FAMS. Ahead of IPW 2024, we hosted three VIP travel trade FAMS for individual stays in Huntington Beach.
As two high-level decision makers for both Tier 1 Markets, we highlighted luxury offerings, destination product activities and our proximity to the rest of the SoCal region, solidifying our claim as the premiere spot for your California vacation.
IPW 2024 Los Angeles & the CA Plaza. We conducted 71 one-on-one appointments with buyers from 14 countries over three days. Additionally, we had a presence in Visit California’sCalifornia Plaza, where we had a surf-shack activation serving HB-inspired bites and drinks. The Plaza opened every morning and afternoon, welcoming foot traffic from the 5,500+ attendees and provided yet another touchpoint for VHB to network with key clients and journalists.
Visit California IPW-Post FAM, SoCal Spectacular. Leveraging IPW’s presence in Southern California, VHB hosted 20 IPW buyers and journalists and two Visit California staff for a total of 22 attendees for a jam-packed 24-hour itinerary. The attendees experienced a classic day in Huntington Beach with surf lessons, bike rides, lunch at Duke’s and an epic beach event at SHOR with bonfires and s’mores.
Visit Huntington Beach made accessible travel a strategic priority, and this past fiscal year we joined Air Canada’s Accessibility Leaders Group and attended a Destination Discovery with Mesa, AZ, the first certified Autism-Certified destination in the world. We aim to gather best practices to make Huntington Beach a leading destination for visitors with disabilities. We engaged with programs like Wheel the World, a leading online platform for travelers with disabilities, who will promote, educate and sell the destination. Lastly, we hosted a tour operator who specializes in accessible travel, where she learned how Huntington Beach is making a strong effort to be as inclusive as possible for those with disabilities.
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
11 • Attended two sales mission in each Tier 1 Market (Canada, UK, Mexico) to meet with product managers, conduct travel agent trainings, and attend sales calls.
• Attended five trade shows for a cumulative 142 one-on-one appointments and 421 agents trained.
AGENT
TRAININGS
CA STAR: 345
SALES MISSIONS: 421
AGENCIES: 300+
ONE-ON-ONE
APPOINTMENTS
142
INTERNATIONAL
FAMS
GO WEST: 36
IPW 2023: 71
CA CUP: 35
SALES MISSIONS AND TRADE SHOWS
FAM
ATTENDEES
63 1,066
10 Surpassed goal +5 Surpassed goal +333
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
12 FILM INQUIRIES
61 FILM HB
PERMITTED SHOOTS
71 FY 2023 – 2024 GOALS FY 23-24 YEAR END
BOOKED ROOM NIGHTS: 64,025 84,395 BOOKED ROOM NIGHTS
(exceeded FY goal by 32%)
TOTAL GROUP BOOKINGS: 128 170 GROUP BOOKINGS
(exceeded FY goal by 33%)
TOTAL SITE INSPECTIONS: 95 99 SITE INSPECTIONS
(exceeded FY goal by 4%)
LEADS: 1,181 1,145 LEADS
(achieved 97% of FY goal)
LEAD ROOM NIGHTS: 686,196 704,522 LEAD ROOM NIGHTS
(exceeded FY goal by 2.7%)
13 FY 23
-
24 PRODUCTION
GROUP SALES MARKETING (CONVENTIONS & MEETINGS)
GROUP SALES MARKETING (CONVENTIONS & MEETINGS)
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
14 Group Sales Marketing Campaign: Nov 2023 – Mar 2024
Surpassed goal
+10,281
24,263
IMPRESSIONS
17 TRADE SHOWS
4,801
PAGEVIEWS
Surpassed goal
+3,701 views
1,145
KEY MEETING & EVENT
PLANNER CONTACTS
Surpassed goal +220 contacts
VISITOR & PARTNER SERVICES
15 VISITOR SERVICES
• $30,000+ in retail sales (UP 76.4% YoY)
• 18,000+ inquiries (UP 50% YoY)
• 17 walking tours
• 14 special events
• 12 active volunteers
PARTNER SERVICES
• 2,500+ partner referrals (UP 25% YoY)
• 500+ partner engagements (UP 25% YoY)
• 6 partner events
• 200 attendees
ADMINISTRATION
16 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Received 2024 Best Places to Work in Orange County award from the Orange County Business Journal (for the second year in a row)
• Omark A. Holmes, CMO, completed Destination International’s Certified Destination Marketing Executive program and is the third staff person to achieve the prestigious CDME designation
PROGRAMS
• Worked with City Council, City staff, VHB Board of Directors, and many partners to modify the TBID assessment from 4% to 6% • Clean annual audit with no significant findings
• Held successful Open House in the VHB office
• Completed transition to digital accounts payable process FY 24-25 PROGRAM OF WORK
17 18
FY 24-25 PROGRAM OF WORK TIED TO
VHB 2023-2026 STRATEGIC PLAN
FY 24-25 VHB MARKETING PROGRAM
Most of Visit Huntington Beach’s
marketing is focused on driving
business during the hotels’ “soft
season” non-peak period
(typically November – February).*
However, VHB’s strategy also
includes comprehensive, full-
funnel initiatives designed to
drive a steady flow of leisure and
group business throughout the
year and other non-peak windows
(example: mid-week business).
* Subject to change.
19 FY 24-25 VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH MARKETING MIX
FILM WEBSITE &
SOCIAL MEDIA
LEISURE
MARKETINGGROUP SALES
MARKETING
PUBLIC
RELATIONS
RESEARCH
TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT
Website
SEO/SEM
Social Media
Social Media Ads
E-Newsletter
Influencers
Video
VR Content
Travel Trends
Hotel Performance
Consumer Sentiment
Geo-Location Tracking
Airlift Reports
Economic Impact
Spend Data
Forecasting
Reporting
Local
National
International
Media Coverage
Editorial
E-Newsletter
FAMs
Media Missions
Trade Shows
Crisis Management
Influencers
Pitching Stories
Agency of Record
Media Buying
Visit CA Co-ops
Advertising
Blogs
Itineraries
E-Commerce
Partnerships
Broadcast
Photography
Video
Events
PAID MARKETING MIX
• Visit Huntington Beach Campaigns
• Visit CA Partnership Programs
• Inspiration Programs
• Conversion Programs
• Segmented Marketing
• Group Sales Marketing
Trade Shows
Sales Missions
FAMs
Social Media
E-Newsletter
Media Buying
Events
Site Inspections
IPW 2024 Activation
Trade Shows
Sales Missions
FAMs
Destination Accessibility
Agent Trainings
STVR Program
Events
Trails
Social Media
20 MARKETING
FY 24-25 MEDIA BUY CAMPAIGN
#BEHERE #MOREHB Flight
• The campaign will run November 204 – June 2025
Targeting
• Laid Back Lux Traveler (age 38-57, $142K/year + HHI, No Kids) • Active Family Traveler (age 30-39, $130K/ year + HHI; Kids) • Mid-Income Millennial (age 20-38, $114K/year + HH; No Kids) • Markets: Drive Markets; Flight Markets; Canada
Messaging
• Cultivate Surf City USA Brand
• Trigger Active Consideration
• Drive Marketing Development (micro campaigns).
Platforms
• Display & Native Advertising
• OTAs & Programmatic
• Device ID Retargeting
• Social Media
• OTT Streaming Video
• Visit California Fall & Spring co-ops contributes a 50% match • Broadcast (KTLA Surf Report + 30 second on-air ad)
OBJECTIVE
Visit Huntington Beach'sFY 24-25 Soft Season campaign will be a highly targeted media buy investmentdeveloped to generate leisure bookings, increase web traffic toSurfCityUSA.com, and increase awareness of the destination, hotel and resort properties during the hotel needs period.The creative will continue VHB’s successful #BeHere messaging targeting new potential markets while introducing #MoreHB messaging targeting those who have consistently and repeatedly responded to our advertising and have been in destination.
TARGET MARKETS
Top 10response markets (in terms of click-throughs) are San Jose/San Francisco/Oakland area, Portland, Salt Lake City, Riverside, Phoenix, Seattle, Las Vegas, Corona/San Bernardino area, Reno, and Los Angeles.
HOTEL NIGHTS
We will use the FY 23-24 total number of hotel overnight guests who saw paid media ad at least 90 days before staying in Huntington Beach (15,890) as the benchmark for FY 24-25.
21 22
MARKETING
• AGENCY OF RECORD
• ANNUAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN
• VISIT CALIFORNIA FALL 2024 CO -OP
• SURF CITY MARATHON
• PACIFIC AIRSHOW
• 2024 US OPEN OF SURFING
• 2024 ISA PARA SURFING GAMES
• SHOW YOUR HB LOVE 2025
• VISIT CALIFORNIA SPRING 2025 CO -OP
• 2025 HUNTINGTON BEACH TOURISM SUMMIT
PUBLIC RELATIONS
• IPW 2025
• UK PR AGENCY
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
• IPW 2025
• ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL
MARKETING
FY 24-25
23 GROUP
SALES
FY 24-25
• IMEX AMERICA
• PREFERRED PARTNERSHIPS
• PRESTIGE GLOBAL
MEETING SOURCE
• HELMS BRISCOE
• HPN GLOBAL
• CONFERENCE DIRECT
• CALIFORNIA DMO ALLIANCE
• IN–MARKET CLIENT EVENTS
• GROUP SALES MARKETING CAMPAIGN
• HB COLLECTION BEACHWIDE FAM IN CONJUNCTION
WITH THE PACIFIC AIR SHOW
24 VISITOR &
PARTNER
SERVICES
FY 24-25
PROGRAMS
• VISITOR EXPERIENCES
• GUIDED WALKING TOURS
• SCAVENGER HUNT
• TEAM SURF CITY USA® VOLUNTEERS
• PARTNER EDUCATION SERIES
• PUBLICATION DISTRIBUTION
• SPECIAL EVENT INFORMATION BOOTHS
• SURF CITY USA® GIFT SHOP
• WAYFINDING PROGRAM
25 PROGRAMS
• TRANSITION TO NEW BUDGET SOFTWARE
• COMPUTER LEASE REFRESH
• OFFICE REPAIRS AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
• FIREDUP! CULTURE TEAM BUILDING AND CULTURE SURVEY
ADVOCACY
• ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH LA28 IN PREPARATION FOR 2028
OLYMPIC GAMES
• TARGETED MARKETING SUPPORT FOR US OPEN OF SURFING,
PACIFIC AIRSHOW, AND ISA PARA SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS
• SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH
AS ISM, CHAMBER EVENTS INCLUDING ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE, SURFING WALK OF FAME, AND
PIER SNOWFLAKES
• CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT WITH ELECTED REPRESENT ATIVES TO
KEEP THE VALUE OF TOURISM IN HB TOP OF MIND
ADMINISTRATION
FY 24-25
VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH FY 24-25 BUDGET
26 * Estimated TBID Assessments includes the 1% admin fee retained by the City of HB. T otal Revenues does not include a rollover of $456,000 from FY 2023-2024.
HBTBID Reporting Year FY 2024-2025
Revenues
Estimated TBID Assessments $10,693,446
Retail, Web Ad, Walking T our Sales, Interest $140,250
Total Revenues* $10,833,686
Estimated Carryover from Previous Fiscal Year $456,000
TBID Expenditures TBID Category (%)
Sales and Marketing $7,578,171 71%
Tourism Enhancement Programs $1,062,647 10%
Administration $1,959,838 18%
Contingency/Reserve $843,000 8%
City Collection Costs $101,149 1%
Total TBID Expenditures $11,544,805
Estimated In-Kind Contributions $0
Group Sales Marketing TEP
$1,000,000
TOURISM ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS
• Wayfinding ($500K)
• Walkability and Connectivity ($150K)
(Hotels to Pacific City and to Main Street)
• Temporary Beach Restrooms ($75K)
• Ambassador Program ($38K)
• Accessibility (Dog Beach Mobi Mat) ($20K)
• Bike Valet ($20K)
• Removable Light Poles TBD
• WiFi Infrastructure Upgrades TBD
• Improved HBISM in preparation for LA 28 TBD
$2,000,000
GROUP SALES ($1,039,000)
• Trade Shows (+$150k/134%)
• Paid Partnerships (+$104k/184%)
• Familiarization Trips & Site Inspections (+$100k/93%) • New Business Development ($300k/new)
• Marketing & Advertising ($105k/171%)
• Booked Room Incentive (+$280k/122%)
MARKETING ($961,000)
• Soft Season Campaign (+$600k/150%)
• Visit CA Co-Op Campaign (+$50k/33.3%)
• Expedia Orange County Co-op Campaign
(Q4 2024 and Q2 2025) (+$50k/100%)
• Paid Social Media (+$25k/25%)
• SEO/SEM (Paid Search Strategy) (+$50k/100%)
• Content Creation (Blogs/Influencers) (+$15k/50%)
• Travel Agent/T our Operator Trainings (+$20k/110%)
• Agency Representation ($25k/same level)
• Familiarization Tours (+$65k/30%)
• New Business Development ($20k/new)
• Accessibility ($21k/new)
• Short Term Vacation Rentals ($3k/new)
• Film Commission ($17k/new)
GROUP SALES
&
MARKETING
TOURISM
ENHANCEMENT
PROJECTS
This chart provides an overview of VHB’s FY 24-25 (and beyond) proposed programs that would be added to existing investments with the increase in TBID assessments. This chart does not represent VHB’s full program of work but serves to highlight those key initiatives that align with VHB’s new 2023-2026 Strategic Plan and some of the City’s Goals and Strategies in its 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
With a 2% increase in TBID assessments, VHB forecasts an additional $3M in TBID.
All proposed programs funded by TBID assessments are approved annually by the VHB Board during the annual budget process and must adhere to state laws governing these assessment expenditures.
PROPOSED ADDITIONAL SALES & MARKETING PROGRAMS WITH TBID MODIFICATION
VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH TOURISM ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS
28 29
The purpose of theHBTBID is to increase overnight room sales with targeted marketing and promotions. Funding is derived from assessments and revenues collected from all lodging businesses, existing and in the future, available for public occupancy located within the boundaries of the City of Huntington Beach.These boundaries will not be changing.
As of July 1, 2024, the assessment rate is6% of gross short-term room rental revenue. This is separate from the 10% Transient Occupancy Tax that the City collects. Assessments fund marketing and sales efforts to improve tourism and drive additional room nights to the lodging businesses. Assessments also fund Tourism Enhancement Programs that were identified and agreed upon in collaboration with the City of HB to enhance the in-destination experience for both visitors and residents. The HBTBID was renewed in 2019 and runs through June 30, 2028.
Visit Huntington Beach (VHB) is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization that serves as the HBTBID Owners Association. VHB consists of staffand board members dedicated to promoting tourism to Huntington Beach to increase overnight stays in Huntington Beach hotels. VHB is responsible for implementing the activities and services identified in the Management District Plan (MDP) and for submitting anannual report to the City Council for their approval.
HUNTINGTON BEACH
TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (HBTBID)
THANK YOU
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