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Monterey County Annual Review of Tourism Brings Positive News…and Warnings
See Monterey (formerly the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau) held its annual meeting at the Sunset Center in Carmel on Thursday, August 28. Representatives of your Chamber were there as local hospitality leaders touted how Monterey County hotels and restaurants are increasing tax revenue and creating jobs for the region. For more information, go to See Monterey Fiscal Year 2024-25 Annual Report and FY 2024-25 Annual Report and Monterey County Tourism 2030 Roadmap.
In Sand City, the 215-room dual-branded Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott (the South of Tioga Development Project) is under construction and will open in early 2026. In Downtown Pacific Grove, the 101-room Kimpton Mirador is under construction and will open in December 2025. In Seaside, preparations continue for a 330-room Grand Hyatt hotel and conference center (the Seaside Resort) adjacent to the Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course. This includes improvements to McClure Way (the road between General Jim Moore Boulevard and the golf club) and installation of water, sewer, and power infrastructure.
The See Monterey annual meeting occurred a few days after the end of Car Week. “Challenges” and “problems” for local residents caused by tourists were a theme of the meeting. Monterey County Supervisor Kate Daniels and Carmel Mayor Dale Byrne warned attendees that residents are petitioning their local elected officials to curtail tourism-generated traffic and anti-social tourist behavior that disrupts daily lives. Mayor Byrne told meeting attendees that See Monterey needed to be “bringing in the right people” and “marketing budgets [for tourism] will be closely scrutinized” to prevent tourism from becoming a “destabilizing force” for the community.
See Monterey has been conscious of resident concerns. It has promoted “responsible tourism” and focuses marketing on potential visitors who would be inclined to stay for multiple days and engage in activities that appreciate scenery, climate, and history. It is also nudging potential visitors to consider visiting the beautiful Salinas Valley for a different experience from the Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur.
However, some residents are proposing their own ideas, which would constrain tourism and hospitality businesses rather than collaborating with them. At the August 27 Monterey City Council meeting, multiple speakers asked the city council to increase taxes on tourism-oriented businesses. A speaker at the California Public Utilities Commission meeting on August 14 opposed a planned desalination plant for the Monterey Peninsula because additional water supply would end up causing more traffic. Residents have been attending Monterey Regional Airport board meetings to complain about commercial flight operations. The developer of the proposed 42-room Avid Hotel on the site of abandoned buildings on North Fremont Street in Monterey has given up after years of opposition from the adjacent neighborhood. Your Chamber will stay alert concerning the sentiment of local residents on economic development.
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