Santa Monica Joins Pensacola and More Coastal Resort Cities in United States Earn Over Two Billion Thousand US Dollars from Tourism

Santa Monica joins Pensacola and more coastal resort cities in the United States as tourism spending surges above $2 billion, signalling powerful visitor demand and fresh opportunities.

Santa Monica joins Pensacola and more coastal resort cities across the United States as tourism-related spending highlighted in official data moves above $2 billion. The figure signals how strongly travel continues to support coastal economies. Meanwhile, destinations are changing their strategies to capture more demand. Beaches remain important, but cities are adding events, sports, cruises, conventions, culture and entertainment.

As a result, tourism is becoming more diverse and increasingly year-round. Furthermore, cities are seeking longer stays and higher visitor spending. Therefore, this emerging trend shows why coastal destinations are investing in new experiences and stronger destination marketing to secure future growth.

America’s coastal resort cities are changing how they compete for travellers. Instead of depending only on summer beach holidays, destinations are investing in sports tourism, cruise travel, conventions, cultural experiences, entertainment, wellness, major events and year-round marketing.

The shift comes as the U.S. travel industry prepares for continued international visitor growth. The National Travel and Tourism Office forecasts international visitation to the United States to increase from 68.3 million visitors in 2025 to 85.2 million by 2030, creating opportunities for coastal destinations seeking a larger share of future demand.

From Ocean City, Maryland, to San Diego, California, local authorities and destination organisations are pursuing different strategies to increase visitor spending, extend stays and reduce seasonal dependence. Some cities are targeting higher-value travellers, while others are developing new sports, meetings, cruise and entertainment products.

Santa Monica, California: Can Entertainment and Dining Revitalise Coastal Visitor Demand?

Santa Monica is seeking to strengthen its visitor economy by connecting its iconic coastline with entertainment, restaurants, retail and events. In 2026, the city approved a comprehensive economic-revitalisation package that includes a $3 million economic development fund, restaurant incentives and measures designed to encourage retail-to-restaurant conversions. The city is also expanding its Entertainment Zone beyond the Third Street Promenade into the wider downtown area, while event activity is being connected with locations including the Santa Monica Pier, Main Street and Montana Avenue. The strategy matters because Santa Monica competes in a sophisticated Southern California visitor market where travellers have numerous coastal and urban alternatives. Creating more reasons to spend an entire day or several nights in the destination can strengthen local economic activity. The city’s planned participation in the 2027 Rose Parade is another opportunity to showcase Santa Monica to a broader audience and support tourism-related businesses.

Santa Monica Tourism Board Extends Leadership

Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT) has announced the reappointment of three incumbent members to its Board of Directors, maintaining continuity in the organisation’s leadership as the coastal California destination works to strengthen its tourism industry.

The reappointed members are Tim Defuria, serving as a Member; Darlene Evans, serving as a Member; and Karen Ginsberg, who continues as Secretary. Their reappointments were formally confirmed during a Santa Monica City Council meeting on September 8, 2026.

Experienced Leaders Continue Their Roles

SMTT President and CEO Misti Kerns welcomed the continued service of the three board members, highlighting their contribution to the organisation and their commitment to the local community and visitor experience.

Kerns said their leadership comes at an important time, with global events and cultural programming expected to create new opportunities for Santa Monica and its tourism economy.

The continued participation of the three directors provides the organisation with leadership continuity as it develops initiatives designed to strengthen the destination’s profile and visitor appeal.

Santa Monica Targets Global Tourism Opportunities

Board Chairman Charlie Lopez-Quintana also welcomed the reappointments, emphasising the board’s role in presenting Santa Monica to travellers around the world while supporting the local community.

The SMTT Board of Directors provides strategic guidance and leadership for the destination marketing organisation. Its work supports efforts to attract visitors, strengthen local businesses and promote Santa Monica as a vibrant coastal destination.

With upcoming events and cultural opportunities creating additional exposure, the reappointed directors will continue working with SMTT to advance Santa Monica’s tourism objectives and maintain its position on the international travel map.

Ocean City, Maryland: Can Sports Tourism Make the Beach Destination a Year-Round Attraction?

Ocean City is making one of the clearest moves towards reducing its dependence on traditional summer beach tourism. The Maryland resort launched Discover Ocean City, MD, a destination-sales initiative focused on meetings, conventions, sports and group travel, with the objective of strengthening business during midweek periods and the shoulder seasons. The city’s proposed Ocean City Sports Complex is central to this strategy. The project involves approximately 193 acres and is designed to attract regional and national sporting events, bringing athletes, families, coaches and spectators to the destination outside the peak summer period. This could create additional demand for hotels, restaurants and attractions during spring, autumn and winter. Ocean City’s strategy therefore goes beyond simply increasing beach visitors; it seeks to build a broader tourism economy capable of generating overnight stays and visitor spending throughout the year.

Long Beach, California: Will the Olympics and Cruise Tourism Drive a New Visitor Surge?

Long Beach is positioning its waterfront city for a major expansion in visitor demand, combining coastal tourism with conventions, cruise travel, entertainment and international events. The city says visitors generate nearly $2 billion in annual economic impact, while its Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center has attracted more than one million attendees. Conventions generated more than 154,000 room nights in the city’s FY2024–25 reporting period, demonstrating the importance of business events to the visitor economy. Cruise tourism provides another substantial demand engine, with Carnival carrying more than 700,000 passengers through the Long Beach Cruise Terminal during the reported period. The biggest future opportunity is the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, when Long Beach is scheduled to host sporting events. The city is also developing a new destination-marketing strategy intended to strengthen its international profile, attract major events and increase visitor spending.

Pensacola, Florida: Is Strong Visitor Growth Already Showing What Coastal Marketing Can Deliver?

Pensacola is providing one of the clearest examples of measurable visitor-demand growth among U.S. coastal destinations. Official destination data for April through June 2026 recorded 823,500 visitors, representing a 7.7% year-on-year increase. Room nights increased 5.1%, while direct visitor spending rose 4.3% to more than $430.3 million. Tourist Development Tax collections also climbed 7.6%, providing an additional indication of stronger accommodation activity. Pensacola’s marketing strategy appears to be helping broaden the visitor base. Visit Pensacola reported that its marketing influenced 26% of all visitors to select the destination, nine percentage points higher than the previous year. The share of first-time visitors also increased by four percentage points. For a coastal destination, the significance is substantial: Pensacola is not merely protecting established beach demand but attempting to convert marketing investment into new visitors, overnight stays and higher economic activity.

Galveston, Texas: Can Cruise Tourism and Group Business Keep Visitor Demand Growing?

Galveston is using its position as a major Gulf Coast cruise gateway to build a tourism model that extends well beyond conventional beach holidays. The City of Galveston reports more than 7 million annual visitors and more than 5,000 hotel rooms, while the destination’s cruise port ranks among the largest in the United States. Cruise passengers provide a substantial built-in visitor pipeline, but the city and its tourism organisation are also targeting meetings, groups and pre- and post-cruise stays. The Galveston Park Board’s FY2025 reporting showed that future group business booked during the year was expected to generate more than $62 million in direct spending and attract more than 145,000 visitors. Future group bookings increased 17% compared with FY2024, while meeting-planner engagements rose 36%. The strategy gives Galveston multiple sources of demand and creates opportunities to persuade cruise passengers to spend additional time in the city.

Virginia Beach, Virginia: Is Resort Redevelopment Creating a Stronger Year-Round Tourism Product?

Virginia Beach is attempting to turn its famous oceanfront into a more diverse, year-round destination through a combination of infrastructure, events, conventions and private-sector development. The city’s Resort Strategic Growth Area is designed to create a diverse coastal community with stronger visitor amenities, improved mobility, better wayfinding, enhanced infrastructure and additional programming. Events are another important component. Virginia Beach’s 2026 Oceanfront Event Season includes a range of activities intended to attract visitors to the Resort Area beyond ordinary beach trips, with the city noting that signature events can draw more than 10,000 people per day. The Convention and Visitors Bureau is also pursuing visitor research, marketing campaigns, promotional activity, new events and resort improvements. Virginia’s wider 2026–2029 Strategic Tourism Plan adds further support by identifying tourism-product development, outdoor recreation, family attractions, sports and events as areas capable of increasing visitation and traveller spending.

Miami Beach, Florida: Is the City Shifting From Visitor Volume to Higher-Value Tourism?

Miami Beach is pursuing a different tourism-growth model: attracting visitors through a broader and potentially higher-value mix of experiences. The city’s strategic vision identifies arts and culture, health and wellness, dining and eco-tourism as opportunities that can strengthen its international destination profile. This approach recognises that Miami Beach already possesses powerful global recognition as a coastal resort, meaning future growth does not necessarily have to come from simply increasing beach traffic. Instead, the city can encourage travellers to stay longer, spend more and visit for reasons beyond the shoreline. Convention infrastructure and destination redevelopment remain important elements of the strategy, alongside efforts to strengthen Ocean Drive and North Beach. The approach also reflects a broader change in destination management across coastal America, where tourism authorities increasingly consider visitor value, resident experience and economic diversification alongside raw arrival numbers. Miami Beach is therefore targeting a more sophisticated tourism proposition.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Can Sports and Shoulder Seasons Reduce Beach Dependence?

Myrtle Beach is explicitly looking beyond the traditional summer beach market. The city’s comprehensive planning framework identifies tourism diversification as an important priority and calls for the destination to pursue new markets capable of generating stronger shoulder-season activity. Among the opportunities identified are sports tourism, cultural tourism and eco-tourism. Sports are particularly relevant because tournaments can bring athletes, families and spectators during periods when conventional leisure demand is weaker. Cultural and eco-tourism provide another route to broaden the destination’s appeal beyond sand and sea. This strategy is increasingly important for mature U.S. beach resorts, where visitor growth cannot always depend on adding more summer capacity. Myrtle Beach’s approach instead seeks to increase the number of reasons travellers can visit and distribute demand across more months. If successful, that can support hotels, restaurants, attractions and local businesses beyond the busiest holiday periods while creating a more resilient coastal tourism economy.

San Diego, California: Is Eco-Tourism Becoming Part of the City’s Coastal Growth Strategy?

San Diego combines one of America’s best-known coastal environments with a large urban economy, creating opportunities to develop tourism across recreation, culture, conventions and environmental experiences. The city’s planning framework recognises tourism as an important economic driver and highlights the role of its coastline, climate, recreation and attractions. A notable development is the De Anza Natural project in Mission Bay, which includes potential visitor accommodation, camping and RV facilities alongside expanded wetlands and environmental education opportunities. The project could strengthen San Diego’s eco-tourism and outdoor-recreation offer while improving the visitor experience around Mission Bay. Coastal resilience is also becoming part of the city’s long-term tourism planning. San Diego is developing a coastal-resilience programme looking towards 2100, with the protection of recreational spaces and economic activity forming part of the wider planning challenge. Meanwhile, the city’s FY2026 budget reporting projected a 3.2% increase in room demand across the San Diego County visitor industry.

Charleston, South Carolina: Can Responsible Tourism Support Sustainable Visitor Growth?

Charleston is taking a more carefully managed approach to future tourism demand. Rather than pursuing unlimited visitor numbers, the city is developing a Responsible Tourism Initiative designed to balance tourism’s economic benefits with pressures involving traffic, parking, housing, noise and infrastructure. Charleston’s tourism strategy recognises that the long-term strength of the destination depends on maintaining a positive relationship between residents, businesses and visitors. The city is also developing a Tourism Management Plan as part of its broader Peninsula Plan. This approach could influence how Charleston grows as a coastal destination, particularly as historic streets, neighbourhoods and cultural attractions face capacity pressures. The objective is therefore not simply to generate more arrivals but to improve the quality and management of tourism. For Charleston, sustainable visitor demand means protecting the assets that make the city attractive in the first place while ensuring tourism continues to deliver economic value to local businesses and the wider community.

What Is Driving the Next Phase of U.S. Coastal Tourism Growth?

The strategies emerging across these cities reveal a clear structural change in American coastal tourism. Beach access remains fundamental, but it is increasingly becoming the foundation rather than the complete tourism product.

Ocean City is investing in sports and group business. Long Beach is preparing for the Olympics while expanding conventions and cruise activity. Pensacola is demonstrating measurable gains through destination marketing. Galveston is combining cruise traffic with group travel. Virginia Beach is investing in resort redevelopment and events, while Miami Beach is broadening its offer around culture, wellness and dining.

Meanwhile, Myrtle Beach is targeting shoulder-season tourism, San Diego is developing eco-tourism and outdoor recreation, Santa Monica is using entertainment and dining to stimulate economic activity, and Charleston is concentrating on responsible visitor management.

The common objective is clear: create more reasons to visit, encourage longer stays, increase spending and spread tourism demand across the year.

For the U.S. coastal resort sector, this represents a significant evolution. Future competitiveness is unlikely to be determined solely by who has the best beach. Destinations that can combine beaches with sports, cruises, conventions, culture, entertainment, wellness, nature and major events will have more opportunities to capture changing traveller demand.

With international visitation to the United States forecast to continue rising through 2030, these coastal cities are positioning themselves early for the next phase of tourism growth. The strongest performers are likely to be those that can convert investment and marketing into measurable overnight stays, visitor spending and repeat demand while protecting the coastal assets that attract travellers in the first place.

The cause is a combination of strong travel demand, destination marketing, major events, cruise activity, conventions, sports tourism and investment in new visitor experiences. The answer is that Santa Monica, Pensacola and other coastal resort cities in the United States are expanding beyond traditional beach tourism to capture more spending throughout the year. The reason is straightforward: relying solely on peak-season beach visitors can limit tourism growth. Consequently, destinations are developing broader tourism products that encourage travellers to stay longer and spend more locally. This approach can strengthen hotels, restaurants, attractions and small businesses while creating a more resilient coastal visitor economy.

The rise of Santa Monica, Pensacola and other coastal resort cities in the United States highlights a significant transformation in American tourism. More than $2 billion in the reported tourism-related figures demonstrates the scale of economic activity associated with these destinations, although the underlying figures cover different periods and tourism measures. Nevertheless, the direction is clear. Coastal cities are actively seeking new sources of visitor demand.

Santa Monica is strengthening entertainment, dining and events, while Pensacola is recording notable visitor and spending growth. Elsewhere, Ocean City is pursuing sports tourism, Galveston is leveraging cruises and group business, and Long Beach is preparing for major international events. Together, these strategies show that the future of coastal tourism will depend on diversification. Beaches remain the foundation, but events, culture, sports, cruises, conventions and year-round experiences are increasingly driving growth, visitor spending and destination competitiveness across the United States.

Image Source: https://www.santamonica.com/