Nearly halfway through the year, local tourism is almost returning to where it was before the coronavirus pandemic, according to data and hospitality officials.

“The pent-up demand is real. We’re definitely seeing an influx of visitors, ”said Claudia Vecchio, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sonoma County Tourism, the local agency responsible for promoting the sector.

Hotel occupancy in Sonoma County was 68% in May, as demand fell just 4% below 2019 levels last month. Meanwhile, short-term rentals offered through sites like Airbnb were 71%, according to the agency. The weekend visitor growth was remarkable, as Vecchio said full-service hotels were about 91% occupancy in recent weekends.

“This is the highest value we will achieve due to staffing problems,” said Vecchio, referring to hotels and restaurants that cannot reach full capacity because they cannot find available workers for such jobs in the service sector.

Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport also saw an increase in travelers. In May the airport counted 38,050 arriving and departing passengers. That number nearly hit the 2019 level of 39,536 for the same month.

“It looks solid at first,” said Jon Stout, airport manager.

The airport is well on its way to having 20 daily departures by September, which would be a record high. The surge was helped by the arrival of Avelo Airlines, which started flying from Hollywood Burbank Airport to Santa Rosa this spring.

However, such news depends on the major airlines operating the airport – such as Alaska, American and United – maintaining their flight schedules well into fall due to continued customer demand, Stout said.

“September and October are still being handled by the hauliers,” he said.

The increase in visitors has also had a positive impact as tourism-related taxes levied on the local government have increased. That revenue suffered a massive drop over the past year as visitors stayed home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Vecchio noted. The rise in these taxes was particularly driven by the continued popularity of short term rentals, as there are nearly 2,000 such units in Sonoma County. There are around 6,600 hotel rooms.

In May, short-term rentals accounted for about 47% of total lodging revenue in the county, despite having a much higher average daily room rate of $ 490.79 compared to $ 194.68 for hotels, which resulted in more tax revenue. In May 2019, short-term rentals made up only 38% of total room take-up.

“The collection was much stronger than we expected,” said Vecchio.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 707-521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR