Locals dominating tourist trade

Newport Beach hotels are seeing more locals and fewer tourists this summer than in years past, statistics show.

“They’re definitely booking close to home,” said Kim Severini, vice president of Newport Beach’s Conference and Visitor’s Bureau. “With the absolutely gorgeous weather, people from inland are totally coming and taking advantage.”

Statistics were not available to show where hotel guests are from, but data from STR Global, a firm that monitors hotel occupancy, show a double-digit drop in hotel guests this year.

Newport Beach hotels have seen a 17% drop in guests this year, and there were fewer guests in June and July than there have been in the last five years.

The drops have led business leaders to revive the buzzword “stay-cation” from last year.

In an admittedly unscientific poll, employees of the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum surveyed local business owners and guests at the Balboa Fun Zone to see where they were from.

According to the poll, 60% of visitors to the Fun Zone are from Orange County. The other 40% of visitors were an even mix of Californians and tourists of other states and countries, said David Muller, executive director of the Nautical Museum.

“Average spending is down 20% to 30%” in the Fun Zone, Muller said. It’s an indication of just how many people coming to the Fun Zone are from nearby cities, he said. While spending is on par for activities and attractions there, spending for food is down.

“It matches a lot of things we’re reading about general spending,” Muller said. “People are spending money on activities, but if they can bring food from home, they’re doing it.”

Hotels are offering cheaper rates and getting new, local customers, Severini said.

Down at the Fun Zone, Muller said, local businesses are marketing to an even wider audience to support them during the slower winter months.