Adapting and Reinventing Modesto’s Hospitality and Tourism
Todd Aaronson, CEO
Modesto Convention & Visitors Bureau
Every cloud has a silver lining…but the last year for the hospitality industry was a hurricane of epic proportions. Thousands of hotels closed across the nation, restaurant closings are predicted to be almost 50% in the U.S. and the special event/theater side of tourism has been shuttered for a year. We are fortunate in Modesto that our local industries are essential (agriculture and manufacturing), helping to propel our community, and county, to weather this storm better than most cities in the nation.
While U.S. hotel occupancy finished 2020 at only 44%, Modesto hotels were able to achieve occupancy above 63% and Stanislaus County hotel results were just over 62% .[1] This displays the incredible resilience of our region when times are the toughest. Our restaurant partners scrambled to provide to-go orders in new packaging, created safe environments, expanded patios, bought heaters for outdoor dining and much more. The community repaid them with strong support and the majority of our favorite dining spots are still there for us to enjoy! Our hotel partners persevered the most unique period and clientele seen in many years while providing a healthy environment for guests and staff alike.
The new traveler is driving more, seeking destinations with unique amenities that are close to national parks and are less crowded than favorite city destinations prior to the pandemic. That puts Modesto, the heart of California, right at the center of the travel boom (now called revenge travel). To keep business travelers, drive tourists and other visitors thinking of us Visit Modesto is providing myriads of reasons for them to visit Modesto between ‘here and there’. Programs like the Almond Blossom Cruise brought in thousands of visitors for four weeks running. Our promotions are now featuring all the places you can take your dog to stay and eat, authentic Mexican restaurants and Taco Truck lists (just wait till we launch Taco Quest!) and we recently announced Graffiti Summer for August of this year. While drawing eyes to our social and digital media we share information about DoMo Walls and Modesto’s public murals, the outdoor amenities from disc golf to trail riding to birdwatching and even expanded information about all the farm stands and what is fresh every month to take back home.
Bottom line: Modesto has not only persevered through the toughest of tough times, but we are also building many new ways to attract and welcome visitors in the future. That means every one of us has a mission to do our part when we see a stranger (who may be from anywhere between Seattle and Sanibel Island); Smile, welcome them and make sure you share at least one reason you Love Modesto!
Go to https://visitmodesto.com/ for more information.
[1] STR data for 2020 https://str.com/
