2025 TOURISM SUMMIT
May 13, 2025 – As Visit Oceanside wraps up the first full year of implementing its 10-year Sustainable Tourism Master Plan (STMP), the organization announced at today’s Annual Tourism Summit that it has made meaningful progress in key strategic areas, including driving group travel demand and advancing sustainability efforts
“Progress on big ideas and initiatives can sometimes feel glacial, so it’s important to celebrate the progress along the way,” said Leslee Gaul, CEO of Visit Oceanside. “Each milestone confirms that we are staying on course with our goal of ensuring tourism not only boosts our economy but also our environment, community and quality of life.”
While leisure travel remained relatively flat, group travel emerged as a standout success, with a 29 percent year-over-year increase in group room night demand for 2024. In the past year, Oceanside served as host to significant corporate events including the statewide CalTravel Summit, as well as the location for high caliber sports events such as the Simone Biles Gold Over America Tour and San Diego Clippers home games — each driving significant visitor traffic to the area
Visit Oceanside also advanced its sustainability goals through several impactful initiatives. The organization launched its Love O’side platform to encourage visitors to make thoughtful, sustainable choices during their stays. Visit Oceanside also helped relaunch the gO’side electric shuttle program, which provides a convenient and eco-friendly transportation option that reduces traffic congestion and carbon emissions. Additionally, Visit Oceanside partnered with Kind Traveler and its Every Stay Gives
Back program, to support local causes including beach nourishment and healthy food access. To date, the program has raised over $16,000 with 100% of funds donated to charities.
“These efforts are designed to ensure tourism enhances our community rather than burdens it, creating a positive experience for residents and visitors alike,” Gaul said.
Oceanside’s tourism industry continued to show positive growth in 2024. Visitor spending in 2024 was $625 million, an increase of 6% over 2023 according to a recent report by Dean Runyan Associates. Nearly 70 percent of visitor spending was in sectors beyond lodging, such as dining, retail and attractions. Local tourism tax revenues increased 6% to $26 million, providing an important revenue source for the city’s general fund to impact public safety, parks, street improvements and homeless outreach. Oceanside’s tourism industry directly supported over 4,000 jobs within the travel industry in the city.
Coinciding with California Tourism Month, Visit Oceanside’s Annual Tourism Summit is a celebration tourism’s role as a foundational part of the state and local economy, an industry that lifts communities, sustains livelihoods and fuels growth. Despite economic and geopolitical headwinds that indicate California visitation will decline in 2025 for the first time since the pandemic, California remains the No. 1 travel destination in the United States with a resilient tourism industry.
Visit Oceanside’s Tourism Summit was held on Tuesday, May 13 at Frontwave Arena. The event opened with a Luiseño Indian land acknowledgement. Highlights included a keynote address by Olympian and marathoner Deena Kastor and a presentation of the annual tourism awards. This year’s awards recipients included:
California Welcome Center Volunteer of the Year: Linda Aviles
Industry Partner of the Year: Roxana Pavel, allmine
Lodging Partner of the Year: Mark Warr, On the Sand
Local Champion for Tourism Impact: Retired: Colonel Daniel Whitley and Veteran + Author Amy Forsythe, Camp Pendleton
Collaboration of the Year: 24 Suns / Oceanside Museum of Art for Swell Plates Series
About Visit Oceanside
Visit Oceanside Conference and Visitors Bureau is the official tourism marketing organization in Oceanside, Calif., promoting travel to the city for both leisure and group visitors. The organization influences about one-third of the $625 million that is generated by visitor spending in Oceanside each year, which supports over 4,000 jobs. Visit Oceanside also operates one of the state’s official California Welcome Centers. With just one stop, visitors can find local, regional and state maps, purchase discount tickets to major Southern California attractions, make hotel reservations or shop for the perfect California keepsake. The Visit Oceanside CVB and California Welcome Center- Oceanside are conveniently located just off Interstate 5 at 928 North Coast Highway. For more information, please call (800) 350-7873 or visit www.visitoceanside.org.
Year in review video
Thank you to our sponsors: City of Oceanside, Frontwave Arena, Datafy, Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, MainStreet Oceanside, Inc., Greenhaus, Katalyst PR, On-The-Sand.com Vacation Rentals, Rocket Travel Marketing, Oceanside Unified School District, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, HomeState, Vista Printing, Courtyard by Marriott Oceanside, G Squared Computing
