SANTA CRUZ – The Blueprint for a Safer Economy tiered system and mask mandates for vaccinated individuals were disbanded Tuesday, giving the Santa Cruz tourism industry a chance to return to its former glory.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s long-awaited date to lift mask requirements and COVID-19-related restrictions does not mark a magical date when the world is healed and business is back in full swing. In fact, tourism in Santa Cruz County has started slowly in the past few weeks.

According to Sales Director Dan Smart, the Dream Inn has seen stable business over the past few weeks. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a boom. After the mandates were officially dissolved on Tuesday, the rooms at the beach hotel filled up. According to the announcement, the Dream Inn only has one room left for Saturday, Smart said.

“We’re preparing for people to just want to travel,” said Christina Glynn, communications director for Visit Santa Cruz County. “That sure took a long time.”

Burning temperatures in the Bay Area, the county’s main tourist market, could drive more visitors to town this weekend. Areas of the East Bay, such as Walnut Creek, Concord, and Dublin, have received an excessive heat warning from the National Weather Service. Temperatures in the three-digit range are expected on Thursday and Friday and the mid-90s on Saturday.

San Jose has also received a heat warning, with temperatures only one level below 100 degrees for Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, South Bay is expected to cool down into the lower 90s.

Santa Cruz has always been a place where people seek refuge from the heat, said county spokesman Jason Hoppin. He reckons that the heat alone will lead to more traffic in the area.

“I think the locals can check out the past summers and take advantage of that,” Glynn said of inbound traffic between the heat and the repealed regulations. “I think the locals are savvy enough to understand whether they’re traveling or not. People are ready to visit the Santa Cruz district this year. ”

However, those escaping the Bay Area may not find the refuge from the heat they crave until the weekend. A heat warning was released for Santa Cruz on Thursday. The same heat warning prompted state officials to urge Californians to reduce electricity consumption.

Hoppin suggested drinking water and avoiding too much time in the sun to stay cool. He also suggested swimming pools and the ocean as another way to brave the heat, which could propel tourists to another popular spot in town, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

According to Newsom’s order on Tuesday, vaccinated guests are no longer required to wear masks on the boardwalk. Capacity restrictions and prior registration for rides are no longer required, giving visitors a better way to enjoy all that the boardwalk has to offer.

“We’re always prepared for the typical summer attendance, especially summer,” said Kris Reyes of The Boardwalk. “Even with capacity restrictions, the beach was a very popular destination. We are prepared for normal visitor numbers on a weekend in mid-June. “

While pre-registration is no longer required for rides, it will continue to be available for those looking to purchase ride wristbands at a cheaper price. Wristbands and MyBoardwalk cards are also returned at the ticket counter and can be purchased on the boardwalk.

Despite an expected surge in tourism in the months to come, it will still be some time before the industry can return to pre-pandemic levels. The Santa Cruz tourism industry first became a $ 1 billion market in 2018. The industry hit $ 1.1 billion in 2019 before the pandemic.

Industry numbers were still lower than 2019, according to Glynn. Visit Santa Cruz County hasn’t finalized the May numbers yet, but still expects a small gap to 2019 over the next few months. In fact, a full recovery is not expected before 2023, Glynn said .

One thing affecting the industry this summer is the cancellation of events before the restrictions are lifted. Woody’s on the Wharf, Wednesday night movies on the beach, and Friday concerts on the beach were all canceled earlier this year and won’t return until 2022, according to Reyes.

“What we don’t see are some of these events that would have happened right now,” said Smart. “Those were still all being canceled so they didn’t have time to put them back in the books.”

To counteract the slower return, Visit Santa Cruz ran a summer advertising campaign for the first time. The goal is to reach out to the people who normally come to Santa Cruz once or twice in the summer and bring them back four or five times.

The tourism industry has already referred to this summer as “California’s summer for Californians”. The plan is to focus on the primary propulsion market and continue to expand across the state.

“The Great American Road Trip became the Great California Road Trip,” said Glynn. “We’re trying to show everything there is to do in Santa Cruz County with this summer spot. It’s basically a way to empower the Santa Cruz District for businesses. “

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