VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH ANNUAL REPORT
FISCAL YEAR 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
FISCAL YEAR 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
01 July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025
2024 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM IN HUNTINGTON BEACH*
4.4%
64%
36%
WERE FIRST
-
TIMERS
WERE REPEAT VISITORS
2.34 NON
-
OC RESIDENT
OVERNIGHT VISITORS
INCREASE
OVER THE LAST YEAR
MILLION
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
Calendar Year
2024
*
TOURISM IS NOW THE
6 TH
LARGEST
EMPLOYMENT SECTOR IN OUR CITY.
5,604 JOBS
IN ANNUAL LOCAL TAX REVENUES
GENERATED BY TOURISM IN HB
SUSTAINED DIRECTLY BY TOURISM IN HB
$21 MILLION
$580 MILLION
AND THEY DIRECTLY SPENT…
71%
OF THAT WAS SPENT
AT LOCAL BUSINESSES
A NEW RECORD!
2024 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM IN HUNTINGTON BEACH*
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
Calendar Year
2024
*
#MOREHB
MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Visit Huntington Beach's
highly 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 in December 2024 and will run through June 2025.
FY 24
-
25 59.3
MILLION
TOTAL IMPRESSIONS
(Surpassed FY 24
-
25 goal by 52.4%)
523.7K
TOTAL CLICKS
49,270
HOTEL NIGHTS
Currently surpassing FY 23
-
24 (15,890) by 210%
TOP RESPONSE MARKETS:
San Jose/San Francisco/Oakland,
Portland, Salt Lake City, Riverside, Phoenix, Seattle, Las Vegas, Corona/San Bernardino, Reno, and Los Angeles
.
Sources:, The Atkins Group, Predictive Labs
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH WEBSITE
OVERALL SESSIONS
(Organic + Paid)
1,492,772
(Surpassed FY 24
-
25 year
-
end goal by 152%)
PAID SESSIONS
152,334
(Surpassed FY 24
-
25 goal by 69%)
REFERRALS
LODGING: 19,711
(89% of FY 24
-
25 year
-
end goal)*
DINING: 23,307
(65% of FY 24
-
25 year
-
end goal)*
THINGS TO DO: 33,328
(69% of FY 24
-
25 year
-
end goal)*
PAGEVIEWS
3 MILLION
(11% YOY Increase)
AVERAGE TIME ON SITE
1:16
Sources: Noble Studios, Google Analytics
SURFCITYUSA.COM
July 2024
–
July 2025 Performance
With shifts in Google
Analytics and search
algorithms (impacted by AI), VHB will be investing more in Search Engine Marketing (S EM) to
maintain our share of voice and Search Engine Result Page (SERP) placement against its comp set with larger media budgets; en han
cing its
relevant keyword search and phrases; and creating more engaging content that aligns with the highest met and met search for cont
ent
.
*
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
SOCIAL MEDIA
July 2024
–
July 2025 Performance
SOCIAL MEDIA
COMMUNITY
Instagram: 126,571 followers
• Increase community by 5% (from 117,841 to 123,733 followers)
Results: Currently surpassed goal by 2.3%
Facebook: 91,951 followers
• Increase community by 5% (from 86,200 to 90,510 followers)
Results: Currently surpassed goal by 1.6%
LinkedIn: 4,098 followers
• Increase community by 10% (from 3,653 to 4,018 followers)
Results: Currently surpassed goal by 2%
Threads: 20,800 followers
• Increase community by 5% (from 16,300 to 17,115 followers)
Results: Currently surpassed goal by 21.5%
SOCIAL MEDIA
ENGAGEMENT
Instagram: 384,681 engagements
•
S
urpassed FY 24
-
25 goal by 3.1%
Facebook: 236,954 engagements
•
42% of FY 24
-
25 year
-
end goal *
LinkedIn: 6,383 engagements
• Surpassed FY 24
-
25 goal by 8.9%
Facebook’s algorithm and user shifts continue to challenge the way companies assess the performance of their Facebook presenc e.
Facebook's
algorithm prioritizes content from friends and family over brand content in the newsfeed. This can result in reduced visibili ty
for business pages
and posts, leading to lower organic reach. Recent algorithm updates have further emphasized user engagement, meaning posts th at
don't
generate interaction may be shown to fewer users. These changes have led to a significant decrease in organic reach (the numb er
of people
reached for free) for business pages. This means that businesses need to rely more on paid advertising to reach their target aud
ience.
Because
paying for visibility provides more visibility on the platform, VHB will be working on optimizing its bidding strategy and incre
asing its ad budget to
reach a wider audience, as well as
reassess its benchmark KPIs for Facebook because of the vast changes. *
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
PUBLIC RELATIONS
PRESS TRIP RESULTS
Locations Included:
US, Canada, Australia & New Zealand, Germany, China and more… VHB Hosted:
34 JOURNALISTS
AND
11 INFLUENCERS
Surpassed FY 24
-
25 goal by 104%
Audience:
3.5 BILLION
Surpassed FY 24
-
25 goal by 1254%
Estimated Views:
15.9 MILLION
Surpassed FY 24
-
25 goal by 1125%
PRESS TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
Mykenna Dorn, Canada
@
myeknna
Rob Longley, Canada
Toronto Sun
Micheal Dietz, Germany
Reisen Reisen Der Podcast
Leslie Hsu Oh, US
Travel +Leisure
Amber Turpin, US
The Mercury News
Isa Tousignant, US/Canada
TimeOut
Anna
Halkidis
, US
Parent Magazine
Katherine McMahon, US
@
vinyardandvoyages
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
PUBLIC RELATIONS MEDIA COVERAGE
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
HELLOWORLD GLOBAL STARS FAM
Hosted 13 top
-
selling agents and product managers from Australia for Helloworld and Viva Holiday’s epic 50
th
Anniversary
Global STARS FAM. To celebrate 50 years of
operation, Viva Holidays and Helloworld incentivized their top
-
selling travel agents
to
sell Southern California for a spot on an epic FAM.
GO WEST SUMMIT POST FAM WITH VISIT CA
In partnership with Visit California, we
hosted 5 CEO and high
-
level leaders from
international travel companies
for a VIP FAM after Go West Summit. Working with
VCA, we were able to select companies from our target markets: luxury domestic, UK, and a global wholesaler.
HOPPER x CAPITOL ONE x VISIT CALIFORNIA CO
-
OP
We
launched a co
-
op with Hopper, Capitol One Travel and Visit California mid
-
year
to boost bookings from affluent, domestic millennials, Gen Xers and Gen Zers within a shorter booking window. We are happy to report a success with 4.1 Million impressions, 20,369 clicks and $386,000 in hotel revenue, resulting in a 28:1 ROAS .
Surpassed FY 24
-
25 goal for International Familiarization Tours by 33%
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT,
ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL
WHEEL THE WORLD
–
HB NOW VERIFIED DESTINATION!
Huntington Beach is now an official Verified Destination through Wheel the World. Over 18 Points of Interests were mapped in the destination, including resorts and POIs like the HB Pier, the Huntington Beach House, and Rocky McKinnon's adaptive surfing program. With this official designation, we are honored to be welcoming in even more travelers with disabilities to Surf City USA®.
ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL LEADERS' ROUNDTABLE
Sophia
Valdivia was invited to attend the Accessible Travel Leaders Roundtable, hosted by Air Canada. 12 total attendees represented the various aspects of the accessible travel industry: Airline, disabled passenger airline policy, tour operators for both disabled travelers and able
-
bodied, Canadian Autism Network, disability rights
advocates, travel agents, and Visit Huntington Beach as the DMO.
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT,
TRADE SHOWS & SALES MISSIONS
3 TRADESHOWS
4 SALES MISSIONS
162
ONE
-
ON
-
ONE
APPOINTMENTS
GO WEST SUMMIT
TRAVELABILITY SUMMIT
IPW 2025
14.1% increase from FY 23
-
24 VISIT HB CANADA MISSION
VISIT HB UK MISSION
VISIT CA REVERSE CANADA
MISSION
VISIT CA EURO MISSION
Over 101 individual
appointments of at least
10 minutes with travel
agents, advisors, Product
Managers and Owners
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT,
FILM IN HB
REFRESHED FILMinHB Website
with New Assets
Visit HB worked with the City of Huntington
Beach with additional feedback from CA State
Parks to refresh the FAQ content and
information on our FilmInHB.com site while
creating new assets like the jurisdiction map.
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
GROUP SALES MARKETING,
CONVENTIONS & MEETINGS
BOOKED ROOM NIGHTS
FY 24
–
25 ANNUAL GOAL: 86,082
(Surpassed goal by 0.7%) NEW RECORD!
2024
–
2025 ACTUAL YTD: 86,720
TOTAL SITE INSPECTIONS
FY 24
–
25 ANNUAL GOAL: 100
(Surpassed goal by 11%) NEW RECORD!
2024
–
2025 ACTUAL YTD: 111
TOTAL GROUP LEADS
FY 24
–
25 ANNUAL GOAL: 1,169
(100% of year
-
end goal achieved) NEW RECORD!
2024
–
2025 ACTUAL YTD: 1,169
GROUP SALES FYE 2024
-
2025
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
GROUP SALES MARKETING,
CONVENTIONS & MEETINGS
YEAR
-
OVER
-
YEAR STATISTICS
LEAD ROOM NIGHTS
2023
–
2024 YEAR
-
END
2024
–
2025 YEAR
-
END
704,316
803,874
TOTAL BOOKINGS
2023
–
2024 YEAR
-
END
2024
–
2025 YEAR
-
END
169
192
NEW RECORD!
NEW RECORD!
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
GROUP SALES MARKETING,
CONVENTIONS & MEETINGS
193,622
IMPRESSIONS
Surpassed goal by 49.9%
26 TRADE SHOWS ATTENDED
Group Sales Marketing Campaign: Nov 2024
-
April 2025
STRATEGIC
PARTNERSHIPS
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
VISITOR & PARTNER SERVICES
VISITOR SERVICES
•
$35,025
in retail sales
(up 17% YOY)
•
16,234
inquiries
•
14 public walking tours
•
14 special event (booth)
•
11 active volunteers
PARTNER SERVICES
•
1,806
partner referrals
•
562
partner engagements
•
6 partner events
•
116
attendees
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
ADMINISTRATION
OPERATIONS
TOURISM ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS
•
HB Pier Sign
–
Initial comps completed. Continuing to work with City
on next steps.
•
Nighttime Ambassador Program
–
Program continues in partnership
with the Downtown BID. The Downtown BID is currently conducting an RFP process for the 3
rd
party program vendor.
•
Completed FY 23
-
24 audit
•
Launched new budget software and performance evaluation software •
Completed bank transition from First Bank to US Bank
•
Infrastructure improvements throughout the office, including updated cubicle workspaces, PC and Apple computer lease refresh, and HVAC and plumbing repairs
•
Hired Executive Operations Assistant to support senior team and oversee facilities management
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
ADMINISTRATION
TOURISM ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS
CONTINUED
Wayfinding
•
Fabrication and installation of 7 gateway signs. 2 are complete. 4 more are in progress. The remaining sign at Hamilton & Brookhurst requires additional planning/permitting and is being included in next year's budget. •
Replacement graphics installed on pedestrian information kiosks throughout downtown.
•
Maintenance and repair of signs throughout HB.
Walkability & Connectivity
•
Seven light poles to be replaced along PCH between Pacific City and Main Street. VHB provided input on locations/designs. The project needs to go before the City's Design Review Board. The City EDC office is working on this process now.
Beach Event Infrastructure
•
Project complete. Center light poles in the beach parking lots across from the Waterfront Hilton and Hyatt have been removed.
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
ADMINISTRATION
TOURISM ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS
CONTINUED
Accessibility
•
Project complete. The Mobi mat on the north side of the Pier was fully replaced and the Mobi mat on the south side of the Pier now has a T cross section parallel to the water line to allow for increased access.
Bike Valet
•
Pilot program is ready to launch on 5
th
Street across from the VHB office.
The program is a public
-
private partnership in conjunction with the City
of HB, LAZ Parking, The Strand, VHB, and the Downtown BID.
Temporary Beach Restrooms
•
In conjunction with Public Works, seasonal beach restrooms will be placed next to the Pier between Father's Day Weekend
and Labor Day
Weekend. Hours will be 8:30 am
-
5 pm daily.
FY 24
-
25 HIGHLIGHTS
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
02 FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK TIED TO VHB 2023
-
2026 STRATEGIC PLAN
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
1. DRIVING GLOBAL BRAND AWARENESS
2. ENHANCING DESTINATION EXPERIENCE
Programs that increase the visibility of Huntington Beach and the Surf City USA® brand as the quintessential California beachside experience by strategically targeting key media, travel trade, meeting planners, and leisure and business travel markets around the globe to increase, overnight visitation, visitor spend, and events/group meetings.
•
Launch soft season campaign
highlighting HB lifestyle pillars of outdoors,
wellness, family, active sports, dining, and shopping as micro -
campaigns
designed to encourage visitation and overnight stays. Develop unique creative and messaging targeting each of VHB’s five profiles designed to increase response. Leverage Visit CA’s “CA Road Trips” and “Ultimate Playground” themes.
•
Promote Huntington Beach signature events
(e.g. US Open of Surfing, Pacific
Airshow, A Great Day in the Stoke, Surf City Marathon, Corgi Beach Day, Jack’s Surf Pro, Independence Day Celebration, Surf City Splash) •
Engage new agencies of record JNS Next
to bolster Leisure and Group Sales
Marketing campaigns, and Luna PR to serve as VHB’s UK and Ireland public relations office to amplify Huntington Beach’s destination appeal and travel trade efforts.
•
Participate in two of VHB’s largest trade shows
(IMEX 2025 & IPW 2026).
•
Expand Influencer Program of Work
to proactively seek and negotiate
impactful partnerships with relevant influencers.
•
Leverage the World Cup and LA28 to expand global destination brand awareness and secure offsite activations.
Programs that help ensure that the places to eat, shop, play, and stay in Huntington Beach are enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, and that those experiences are fun, unique, accessible, memorable, and inspire repeat visitation. •
Develop outreach and education
to enhance customer service for all visitors
including international and accessible communities.
•
Promote accessible travel market training and hotel booking engine tools to enhance full
-
funnel experience for travelers with disabilities.
•
Improve the ability to increase the frequency of booking meetings and special events
in Huntington Beach with continued collaboration with
City staff, et al.
•
Develop in
-
market experiences
to enhance the destination experience and
drive partner referrals (e.g. Surf City USA® Foodie Awards, Downtown HB Historical Walking Tour, Barrel Trail, Snapshots, Downtown HB Public Art Tour, Scavenger Hunt, Sunset Beach Walking Tour)
•
Help implement pertinent destination improvements
recommended by RHI
•
Produce Surf City USA® Uncovered video series
highlighting local gems and
unknown facts about Huntington Beach to encourage visitation. •
Help implement pertinent destination improvements
recommended by RHI
•
Continue work on VHB’s Tourism Enhancement Projects
and collaborate
with the City on their aligned enhancement projects with resident and visitor benefits.
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK TIED TO VHB 2023
-
2026 STRATEGIC PLAN
3. CHAMPIONING THE VALUE OF TOURISM
4. PRIORITIZING ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND CULTURE Programs that educate residents, visitors, local businesses, government officials, and community stakeholders on the vital role of the travel & tourism industry and provide a greater understanding of its impacts and benefits. •
Value of Tourism Campaign
will target industry, stakeholder, community, and
elected groups, to highlight the positive benefits and economic impact of the travel and tourism industry; including the many ways that Tourism Builds Community, the key role tourism plays in improving the quality of life for residents, the tax revenues generated for the community, and the jobs the visitor industry provides and supports.
Programs that ensure Visit Huntington Beach’s spirit of service is operating at optimal efficiency and, as Huntington Beach’s destination management organization, is consistently delivering on its Mission, Vision, and Brand Promise to visitors and residents.
•
Continue implementing
FiredUp
Culture! Organization recommendations
to further enhance the VHB team culture.
•
Develop customer sentiment survey.
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
FY 25
-
26 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.
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
FY 25
-
26 VHB MARKETING MIX
FILM WEBSITE &
SOCIAL MEDIA
LEISURE
MARKETING
GROUP SALES
MARKETING
PUBLIC
RELATIONS
RESEARCH
TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT
Website
SEO/SEM
Social Media
Social Media Ads
E-Newsletter
Influencers
Video
AI & VR T echnology
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
Influencers
Media Missions
Trade Shows
Crisis Management
Influencers
Pitching Stories
Agency of Record
Media Buying
Visit CA Co-ops
Advertising
Blogs
Itineraries
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
Trade Shows
Sales Missions
FAMs
Destination Accessibility
Agent Trainings
STVR Program
Events
Trails
Social Media
E-Commerce
Partnerships
Broadcast
Photography
Video
Events
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
FY 25
-
26 MEDIA BUY CAMPAIGN
FY 24
-
25 PROGRAM OF WORK
Flight
•
The campaign will run November 2025
–
June 2026
Targeting
•
HB Collection:
Our Los Angeles
–
HB Collection visitors are staying in
HB Collection hotels.
•
Huntington Beach Lover:
All visitors in this persona were spotted at one
of Huntington’s Beach’s beautiful beaches.
•
Never Been to LA Before (LA Visitor):
This is the persona’s first time in
the LA area, and they are hitting all the most touristy spots. •
Hidden Gem Cultural Traveler:
Our hidden gem cultural traveler is
overwhelmingly staying in mid
-
tier accommodations.
•
Select Service:
Our Los Angeles market
–
select service visitors are
overwhelmingly staying in budget & mid
-
tier accommodations.
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's
FY 25
-
26 Soft Season campaign will be a highly
targeted 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.
In collaboration with VHB’s new agency of record JNS Next, the new campaign will implement
unique creative and messaging targeting each
of VHB’s highly engaged customer profiles designed to increase response from new potential markets and those who
have
consistently
and repeatedly responded to our advertising and have been in destination.
TARGET MARKETS
Top 10
response 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 24
-
25 total number of hotel overnight guests who saw
paid media ad at least 90 days before staying in Huntington Beach (41,730) as the benchmark for FY 25
-
26. FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
ENGAGE JNS NEXT TO BOLSTER LEISURE AND GROUP SALES MARKETING CAMPAIGNS •
JUNE
–
AUGUST:
Kick
-
Off Meeting / Brand Audit / Destination Immersion Fam
•
SEPT/OCT:
Development and execution of Soft Season, Advocacy (Value of Tourism), and Group Sales Campaign tracks
ENGAGE LUNA PR: NEW PUBLIC RELATIONS REPRESENTATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM •
Luna PR will serve as VHB’s UK & Ireland public relations office and will amplify Huntington Beach’s destination appeal and existing travel trade efforts through media relations, PR campaigns, media missions, press trips, and influencer and brand partnerships.
EXPAND INFLUENCER PROGRAM OF WORK
•
As social media continues to be an integral part of communication habits across all demographics, VHB will be expanding its program of work with influencers by engaging the assistance of existing PR agency Citizen Relations, to proactively seek and negotiate impactful partnerships with relevant influencers.
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
FY 25
-
26 MARKETING STRATEGY SHIFTS
•
UNIQUE CREATIVE AND MESSAGING TARGETING FIVE UPDATED
CONSUMER PROFILES:
After developing five distinct highly engaged market profiles, VHB’s FY 25 -
26 soft season
campaign will take its marketing to the next level with unique creative and messaging targeting each of its 5 profiles designed to increase response. •
INCREASED LOOKALIKE STRATEGY:
More strategic, competitive placement of VHB paid digital advertising by serving our ads to audiences who have responded to the ads of competing destinations. The goal is to divert more traffic to VHB’s digital portals (ex: web, social, hotel, campaign landing pages). •
INCREASE SEM TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN THE PAID SEARCH
DIGITAL LANDSCAPE:
With shifts in Google Analytics and search algorithms, we will be investing more in SEM to maintain our share of voice (Search Engine Result Page) placement against comp set with bigger budgets. How? Enhance our relevant keyword search and phrases. More engaging content that aligns with highest met and unmet search for content.
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
FY 25
-
26 MARKETING STRATEGY SHIFTS
•
CONTINUE YEAR
-
LONG VALUE OF TOURISM MARKETING ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN:
Targeted to industry, stakeholder, community, and elected groups, highlighting the positive benefits and economic impact of travel and tourism industry. •
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS:
Increase level of engagement with Visit CA, Expedia, TripAdvisor, and technology (AI, VR, drone) partners.
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
NEW INTERNATIONAL AND LUXURY CAMPAIGNS
•
Pivoting funds towards straight block and tackle marketing for dedicated campaigns and co
-
ops in UK and Canada, we are adding two new buys:
•
Hopper x Capitol One Campaign:
Targeting domestic luxury market
•
Booking Incentive Campaign:
Targeting key market Canadian and UK/European
families and affluent travelers to encourage longer length of stays mitigating “resort fees” sentiment and incentivize travel agencies to book longer length of stays.
INCREASE IN FAMS
•
Increase hosting highly important FAMs from our key markets. Additionally, we will be partnering with Visit California on two major FAMs in FY25 -
26: Flight Centre Super
FAM in July and Race Across California FAM in October.
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
ACCESSIBILITY
•
LEVERAGE THE FOUNDATION LAID FOR ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL
BY DEVELOPING CAMPAIGNS DESIGNED TO:
•
Elevate our product offerings
•
Highlight the visitor experience through rich media, social, blog, influencer, and testimonial content
•
Grow overnight visitation from this market
•
WHEEL THE WORLD CAMPAIGN:
•
Promote the Wheel the World hotel booking tool designed specifically for travelers with disabilities
•
Host an in
-
person workshop for our local businesses led by a
disabled facilitator
•
Help our businesses shine and showcase their natural hospitality in an authentic way with disabled visitors and residents. •
Provide best practices
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
GROUP SALES
DESTINATION INCENTIVE PROGRAM
•
Increasing fiscal year allocation to support need periods, specifically late November through January, and again in June. These are traditionally softer windows and will keep us more competitive over needs dates.
FAM TRIPS
•
Planning and executing three strategic FAMs for the year ahead, each targeting a top strategic partner: ConferenceDirect, HelmsBriscoe, and Maritz. These are key relationships, and the FAMs are designed to deepen connections and drive future business
TRADE SHOW TRAVEL & TARGET MARKETS
•
Adjusting our tradeshow calendar to include a mix of small and boutique meetings events, along with adding MIC in Colorado, which partners will be able to attend with the VHB team.
•
We are also targeting markets like Texas, Colorado, Utah, the Southeast, and parts of the Northeast areas that we have identified as strong potential for growth.
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
EXPAND PARTNER EDUCATION SERIES
•
Invite webinar speakers that provide a wider variety of relevant resources and information to tourism partners
EXPAND THE SURF CITY USA® FOODIE AWARDS
•
Expand the very successful Foodie Awards to include new categories and promote to greater target region
VISITOR & PARTNER SERVICES
GREATER ENGAGEMENT WITH FRONT
-
LINE HOTEL STAFF
•
Provide more destination education and resources for visitors EXPAND THE SURF CITY USA® SHOP OFFERINGS
•
Sell small selection of Surf City USA® Gift Shop products at the visitor information kiosk
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
ADMINISTRATION
STRATEGIC PLAN REFRESH
•
Work with Coraggio Group again to refresh the VHB Strategic Plan for 2026 -
2029.
Our current plan ends June 2026.
OFFICE SECURITY ENHANCEMENTS
•
In response to recommendations from a security/threat assessment and our Workplace Violence Policy and Prevention Plan, install new front door lock and update aging CCTV/door access system.
IT MANAGED SERVICES PROVIDER
•
VHB is in the process of conducting an RFP for an IT Managed Services Provider.
If a new vendor is selected, the transition process will begin in July 2025.
PRESIDENT & CEO TRANSITION
•
Work with executive search firm and Board of Directors search committee on transition to new President & CEO.
FY 25
-
26 PROGRAM OF WORK
VHB FY 25
-
26 BUDGET
03 VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH FY 25
-
26 BUDGET
VHB FY 25
-
26 BUDGET
INCOME
Estimated TBID Assessments
$10,354,873
Retail, Web Ad, Walking Tour Sales, Interest
$153,500
Estimated Carryover from Previous Fiscal Year
$800,058
TOTAL INCOME
$
11,308,431
EXPENSES
TBID Assessment Expenses
Sales and Marketing
$7,765,342
Tourism Enhancement Programs**
$1,531,958
Administration
$2,178,608
Contingency/Reserve
$25,000
City Collection Costs
$98,047
Total*
$11,598,955
Non
-
TBID Fund Expenses (Advocacy, Board/Staff Events)
$30,900
TOTAL EXPENSES
11,629,855
* VHB elected to use reserve funds to cover TBID expenditures that exceed income in FY 25 -
26. ** The FY 25
-
26 TEP budget is $1,035,487, equal to 10% of anticipated TBID revenues. The amount listed also reflects a
carryover of $496,471 from the previous fiscal year.
The sales and marketing program will promote assessed lodging businesses as tourist, meeting, and event destinations. The sal es
and marketing
program will have a central theme of promoting the Huntington Beach destination brand as a desirable place for overnight visi ts.
The program will
have the goal of increasing overnight visitation and room night sales at assessed lodging businesses, and may include the fol low
ing activities which
are designed to drive overnight visitation and room sales to assessed lodging businesses:
The Visit Huntington Beach Master Development Plan will promote and provide activities and improvements to assessed lodging businesses through the implementation of two sub -
programs: sales & marketing and tourism enhancement projects.
A summary of each sub
-
program is provided below:
SALES & MARKETING
• Increased advertising and promotional programs in print, online, social media, and
television targeted at potential visitors to drive overnight visitation and room sales; • Website enhancements and updates;
• Strategic advertising and marketing agency support;
• Contract with third party marketing and sales partners; • Public relations, sales blitzes, missions, and calls; • Familiarization tours targeting key decision makers;
• Preparation and production of collateral promotional materials such as visitor guides, brochures, flyers, and maps; • Video development for destination experiences and visuals; • Attendance at professional industry conferences and affiliation events; • Lead generation activities designed to attract tourists, leisure visitors, and group events to Huntington Beach; • Partnerships with targeted special events that attract overnight visitors; and • Research designed to identify potential markets for increasing the customer base.
Research is also used to convert visitor requests to actual travel, to identify the economic impact tourism has to Huntington B
each,
and to maintain a Visitor Profile for use in marketing efforts. • Cooperation with local agencies and film commission programs that attract overnight visitors.
VHB MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN
VHB FY 25
-
26 BUDGET
TOURISM ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS
Wayfinding
•
Replacement damaged posts on PCH & Brookhurst gateway sign; fabricate and install gateway sign at Hamilton & Brookhurst; digital kiosk enclosure and vehicular/pedestrian sign maintenance; regular maintenance
Pier Sign
•
Planning/design of HB Pier Sign
Walkability & Connectivity
•
Continue with PCH light installation; add connectivity between Pacific City and Downtown
Temporary Beach Restrooms
•
Balance of Summer 2025 program from July 4
th
to Labor Day; expanded Summer 2026 service
for Memorial Day to Labor Day
Nighttime Ambassador Program
•
Support of Nighttime Ambassador Program with the Downtown Business Improvement District VHB FY 25
-
26 BUDGET
VHB MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Accessibility
•
Additional accessibility projects
–
beach wheelchair/Mobi mats
Bike Valet
•
Branding and marketing of Bike Valet
Beach Event Enhancements
•
High speed wi
-
fi analysis
Improved HBISM
•
Support the International Surfing Museum
Downtown Improvements
•
Modify downtown seawalls along Main Street
Surf City USA® Stories Pier Markers
•
Installation of signs along the Pier with historical, surfing, and environmental information
TOURISM ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS
CONTINUED
VHB FY 25
-
26 BUDGET
VHB MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN
ABOUT VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH
VHB FY 25
-
26 ANNUAL REPORT
WHO WE ARE?
Visit Huntington Beach (VHB) is the official Destination Management Organization (DMO) for Huntington Beach, California. A private
non
-
profit 501(c)(6) organization
,
VHB promotes tourism to Huntington Beach to increase
overnight stays
in
Huntington Beach hotels.
MISSION
Visit Huntington Beach supports and advocates for the economic vitality and quality of life for our Huntington Beach community through inspirational destination marketing and brand management.
VISION
-
OUT
A welcoming, beach
-
infused community that inspires the
stoke of optimism in every
visitor and resident.
VISION
-
IN
VHB is an effective destination leader representing the combined visitor industry and community partnership in the brand development, marketing and sales of the Surf City USA® experience.
VISIT HUNTINGTON BEACH BOARD OF DIRECTORS
VHB FY 25
-
26 ANNUAL REPORT
•
Paul Maddison
*
•
Janis Mantini
*
•
Dawn McCormack
•
Rachel Ramirez
•
Sheik Sattaur
*
•
Sandy Schulz
-
Taylor
•
Justin Simpson
*
•
Brian Smith
•
Dean Torrence
•
Peter “PT” Townend
•
Marisa
Unvert
•
John Villa
•
Dave Wetzel
•
Jennifer Williams
*
Member of The Executive Committee
*
•
Brett Barnes
•
Jon Benson
*
•
Meg Bernardo
•
Christopher
DeGuzman
•
Vipe
Desai
•
Paulette Fischer
*
•
Jeff Holson
•
Debbie Killey
HUNTINGTON BEACH TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (HBTBID) The purpose of the
HBTBID
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 is
6% 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 staff and
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 an
annual report to the City Council for their approval.
VHB FY 25
-
26 ANNUAL REPORT
THANK YOU