HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-12-2026 TBID Agenda Packet
Tourism Business Improvement District Board
AGENDA
Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 10:00 a.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
The Tourism Business Improvement District Board holds in-person meetings. Zoom participation will
not be supported at this time. Attendees of City Council or Advisory Body meetings are eligible to
receive one hour of complimentary parking; restrictions apply, visit Parking for Public Meetings for
more details.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:
Public Comment prior to the meeting (must be received 3 hours in advance of the meeting):
Mail - Delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Address letters to the City Clerk's Office at 990
Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, 93401.
Email - Submit Public Comments via email to advisorybodies@slocity.org. In the body of your
email, please include the date of the meeting and the item number (if applicable). Emails will not
be read aloud during the meeting.
Voicemail - Call (805) 781-7164 and leave a voicemail. Please state and spell your name, the
agenda item number you are calling about, and leave your comment. Verbal comments must be
limited to 3 minutes. Voicemails will not be played during the meeting.
*All correspondence will be archived and distributed to members, however, submissions received
after the deadline may not be processed until the following day.
Public Comment during the meeting:
Meetings are held in-person. To provide public comment during the meeting, you must be
present at the meeting location.
Electronic Visual Aid Presentation. To conform with the City's Network Access and Use Policy,
Chapter 1.3.8 of the Council Policies & Procedures Manual, members of the public who desire
to utilize electronic visual aids to supplement their oral presentation must provide display-ready
material to the City Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on the day before the meeting. Contact the City Clerk's
Office at cityclerk@slocity.org or (805) 781-7114.
Pages
1.CALL TO ORDER
Chair Pearce will call the Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business
Improvement District Board to order.
2.PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
At this time, people may address the Committee about items not on the agenda.
Comments are limited to three minutes per person. Items raised at this time are
generally referred to staff and, if action by the Committee is necessary, may be
scheduled for a future meeting.
3.CONSENT
3.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON JULY 8 5
3.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORT (STR)11
3.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT 13
3.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORT 15
3.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT 19
3.f NOBLE STUDIOS & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORT
23
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT 29
4.PRESENTATIONS
4.a MARKETING SERVICES YEAR END REPORT (25 MIN)
Agency representatives from Noble Studios will present the year-end
activity highlights and results data for the FY 2025-26 marketing agency
contracted work.
4.b SLO REPERTORY THEATRE UPDATE (20 MIN)
Representative from SLO Repertory Theatre will present an
organizational update and share information on their upcoming Tourism
& Hospitality Night.
5.BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a ANNUAL MEDIA PLAN (30 MIN)
Noble Studios will present the annual media plan for FY 2026-27 to the
Board for review and approval.
5.b VISIT SAN LUIS OBISPO BRANDED PROMOTIONAL ITEMS (15 MIN)
Staff will present recommended branded swag items for the Board's
approval.
5.c DEL MAR WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL UPDATE (20 MIN)
Staff will present an update on the co-op with Visit SLO CAL and an
additional investment for the Board's review and approval.
5.d PAINT THE PLAZA SPONSORSHIP (15 MIN)
The Board will consider sponsorship of Downtown SLO's Paint the
Plaza Event.
6.TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
6.a HOTELIER UPDATE
6.b MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.c MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.d PCC UPDATE
6.e VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE
6.f TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE
7.ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board
is scheduled for September 9 at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room at City
Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
LISTENING ASSISTIVE DEVICES are available -- see the Clerk
The City of San Luis Obispo wishes to make all of its public meetings accessible
to the public. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate
alternative formats to persons with disabilities. Any person with a disability who
requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting
should direct such request to the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 781-7114 at least
48 hours before the meeting, if possible. Telecommunications Device for the
Deaf (805) 781-7410.
Agenda related writings or documents provided to the Tourism Business
Improvement District Board are available for public inspection on the City’s
website, under the Public Meeting Agendas web page:
https://www.slocity.org/government/mayor-and-city-council/agendas-and-
minutes. Meeting video recordings can be found on the City’s website:
http://opengov.slocity.org/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=61016&dbid=0&repo=CityCl
erk
1
Tourism Business Improvement District Board Minutes
July 8, 2026, 10:00 a.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
TBID Board Present: Member Mark Eads (arrived at 10:06), Member Christopher
Morgan (left at 11:56), Member Dante Specchierla, Vice Chair
Lori Keller, Chair Clint Pearce
TBID Board Absent: Member Nipool Patel, Member Prashant Patel
City Staff Present: Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-
Charlesworth, Economic Development & Tourism Manager
Laura Fiedler
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement
District Board was called to order on July 8, 2026 at 10:0 4 a.m. in the Council
Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, by Chair Pearce.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
3. APPOINTMENT - OATH OF OFFICE
Deputy City Clerk Andrea Colunga-Lopez administered the Oath of Office to
Christopher Morgan.
4. CONSENT
Member Eads arrived at 10:06
Motion By Vice Chair Keller
Second By Member Eads
Ayes (5): Member Eads, Member Morgan, Member Specchierla, Vice Chair
Keller and Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Member Nipool Patel, and Member Patel
Page 5 of 37
2
CARRIED (5 to 0)
4.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON JUNE 10
4.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORT (STR)
4.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT
4.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORT
4.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT
4.f NOBLE STUDIOS & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORT
4.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
5. PRESENTATIONS
5.a PUBLIC RELATIONS & GUEST SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT (20 MIN)
Representatives from the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce and
Uniquely Driven presented the annual report and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action taken on this item.
5.b CONTENT MARKETING ANNUAL REPORT (20 MIN)
Agency representatives from Badger Branding presented the year end
activity highlights and data results for the 2025-26 content marketing
contracted work and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action taken on this item.
Page 6 of 37
3
6. BUSINESS ITEMS
6.a FY 2026-28 VISIT SLO MARKETING & BUSINESS PLAN AMENDMENT
APPROVAL (15 MIN)
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
presented the staff report and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
To approve the Visit SLO Marketing & Business plan as recommended by
Marketing Committee.
Motion By Member Eads
Second By Member Specchierla
Ayes (5): Member Eads, Member Morgan, Member Specchierla, Vice
Chair Keller and Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Member Nipool Patel, and Member Patel
CARRIED (5 to 0)
6.b SUSTAINABLE AG EXPO SPONSORSHIP (15 MIN)
Chair Pearce declared a conflict on this item and recused due to the
Sustainable AG Expo event taking place at the Madonna Inn property and
left the room at 11:33 a.m.
Beth Vukmanic with the Vineyard Team presented the sponsorship
proposal and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
To approve the Sustainable AG Expo sponsorship proposal as presented
with $10,000 from the General Events Promotion line item of the budget.
Motion By Member Specchierla
Second By Member Eads
Page 7 of 37
4
Ayes (4): Member Eads, Member Morgan, Member Specchierla, and Vice
Chair Keller
Recused (1): Chair Pearce
Absent (3): Member Nipool Patel, Member Patel
CARRIED (4 to 0)
6.c BROCHURE REPRINTING BUDGET CONSIDERATION (10 MIN)
Chair Pearce returned to the room at 11:41 a.m.
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
presented the staff report and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
To approve the budget for the reprint of the destination marketing brochure
for up to $13,200 and if possible printed on recycled paper.
Motion By Vice Chair Keller
Second By Member Specchierla
Ayes (5): Member Eads, Member Morgan, Member Specchierla, Vice
Chair Keller, and Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Member Nipool Patel, and Member Patel
CARRIED (5 to 0)
6.d FY 2025-26 TBID ANNUAL REPORT PREPARATION AND TIMELINE (15
MIN)
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
presented the staff report and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action was taken on this item.
7. TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
Page 8 of 37
5
7.a HOTELIER UPDATE
Member Specchierla shared an update on Condesa beginning to serve
brunch on the weekends.
7.b MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE
No marketing subcommittee meeting was held.
7.c MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
No management subcommittee meeting was held.
7.d PCC UPDATE
Member Specchierla provided a brief update on PCC activities.
7.e VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE
Chair Pearce provided a brief update on Visit SLO CAL activities.
7.f TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
provided an update on the tourism program.
8. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:09 p.m. The next Regular Meeting of the
Tourism Business Improvement District Board is scheduled for August 12, 2026
at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San
Luis Obispo.
_________________________
APPROVED BY TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD:
XX/XX/202X
Page 9 of 37
Page 10 of 37
JULY 2026
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 65.26 78.26 68.97 187.58 222.52 198.91 122.41 174.15 137.19 0.76 -0.91 0.21 3.41 4.10 3.60 4.20 3.15 3.82
City of Paso Robles 59.38 81.03 65.57 162.14 268.26 199.62 96.28 217.38 130.88 -12.44 -2.10 -9.05 2.60 -2.29 1.71 -10.16 -4.35 -7.50
City of Pismo Beach 65.08 78.22 68.83 269.63 396.60 310.85 175.47 310.21 213.97 -10.87 -10.96 -10.90 0.90 -0.42 0.34 -10.07 -11.34 -10.60
City of San Luis Obispo 75.84 89.61 79.78 174.77 280.45 208.68 132.55 251.31 166.49 0.50 2.98 1.28 2.66 7.14 4.80 3.17 10.33 6.14
City of Morro Bay 71.52 86.69 75.86 149.12 247.27 181.16 106.66 214.35 137.43 4.63 1.48 3.58 3.65 4.28 3.55 8.45 5.82 7.26
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 74.30 82.17 76.55 200.40 222.38 207.14 148.89 182.73 158.56 2.01 1.04 1.71 2.57 2.56 2.55 4.64 3.63 4.30
City of Paso Robles 78.03 94.96 82.87 225.64 366.70 271.82 176.07 348.21 225.25 8.53 7.69 8.25 24.09 19.41 21.86 34.68 28.59 31.92
City of Pismo Beach 79.90 85.10 81.39 279.11 401.76 315.75 223.01 341.90 256.98 3.13 -3.67 1.00 3.24 0.83 1.70 6.48 -2.87 2.72
City of San Luis Obispo 85.79 94.88 88.39 188.06 287.47 218.55 161.34 272.76 193.17 7.58 2.25 5.89 3.64 3.72 3.16 11.50 6.05 9.24
City of Morro Bay 83.21 93.60 86.18 157.17 258.67 188.66 130.78 242.11 162.59 8.61 6.00 7.79 6.86 6.42 6.37 16.07 12.81 14.66
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 76.28 86.02 79.06 205.52 242.62 217.05 156.77 208.70 171.61 4.16 3.19 3.85 4.92 6.17 5.32 9.28 9.55 9.37
City of Paso Robles 77.59 88.00 80.56 210.61 296.30 237.35 163.41 260.73 191.21 -3.68 -3.41 -3.60 -5.09 5.30 -1.28 -8.58 -8.58 -4.83
City of Pismo Beach 83.89 95.27 87.14 284.49 413.98 324.94 238.66 394.41 283.16 3.43 2.53 3.15 2.94 1.04 2.09 6.47 6.47 5.31
City of San Luis Obispo 83.36 94.16 86.44 185.65 276.93 214.06 154.75 260.75 185.04 -0.02 1.12 0.33 0.42 -0.37 0.20 0.40 0.40 0.54
City of Morro Bay 82.54 92.89 85.50 159.90 260.01 190.97 131.98 241.51 163.27 2.89 3.28 3.01 3.03 3.57 3.30 6.01 6.01 6.41
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 77.16 83.33 78.92 203.88 229.10 211.49 157.32 190.90 166.92 5.82 -1.59 3.47 6.11 2.26 4.56 12.28 0.64 8.19
City of Paso Robles 68.94 87.69 74.29 167.86 285.97 207.69 115.72 250.75 154.30 -8.47 -6.77 -8.33 1.27 -4.28 -2.48 -7.31 -10.76 -10.60
City of Pismo Beach 82.85 93.14 85.79 292.87 433.82 336.59 242.65 404.08 288.77 4.35 2.37 3.73 6.06 9.93 7.41 10.68 12.53 11.41
City of San Luis Obispo 82.72 93.57 85.82 182.41 273.60 210.82 150.90 256.01 180.93 3.21 3.95 3.44 3.45 6.13 4.58 6.77 10.32 8.18
City of Morro Bay 80.49 92.17 83.83 160.25 252.22 189.14 128.98 232.49 158.55 9.06 10.36 9.47 3.41 7.43 5.18 12.78 18.56 15.13
For the Week of July 26, 2026 to
August 01, 2026
For the Week of July 19, 2026 to
July 25, 2026
For the Week of July 12, 2026 to
July 18, 2026
For the Week of July 05, 2026 to
July 11, 2026
RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Page 11 of 37
Page 12 of 37
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Change +/- to
previous FY
July 508,195$ 541,806$ 591,184$ 636,778$ 699,845$ 761,346$ 844,845$ 877,391$ 861,241$ 884,317$ 913,019$ 530,064$ 1,214,080$ 1,297,863$ 1,245,883$ 1,296,972$ 1,310,543$ 1.05%
August 511,564$ 542,194$ 574,395$ 623,655$ 674,244$ 732,271$ 774,501$ 765,232$ 728,932$ 775,513$ 826,465$ 623,523$ 992,620$ 1,057,478$ 1,037,434$ 1,118,215$ 1,174,918$ 5.07%
September 400,023$ 437,543$ 490,524$ 508,583$ 505,954$ 557,002$ 643,127$ 650,117$ 693,704$ 682,810$ 720,414$ 660,405$ 965,595$ 1,039,589$ 1,024,869$ 935,689$ 952,359$ 1.78%
October 414,870$ 442,586$ 437,805$ 469,977$ 509,435$ 594,032$ 642,221$ 628,049$ 601,208$ 650,101$ 711,393$ 632,733$ 889,485$ 993,400$ 986,681$ 921,418$ 1,083,144$ 17.55%
November 280,913$ 330,924$ 347,437$ 359,163$ 425,769$ 475,360$ 468,016$ 497,162$ 513,487$ 556,885$ 593,403$ 422,488$ 722,487$ 770,599$ 757,010$ 825,128$ 845,440$ 2.46%
December 246,684$ 274,417$ 314,784$ 319,451$ 355,315$ 391,132$ 429,600$ 434,836$ 473,701$ 488,296$ 488,757$ 236,391$ 638,253$ 628,735$ 628,260$ 637,018$ 690,460$ 8.39%
January 230,279$ 256,351$ 276,165$ 302,153$ 331,853$ 400,239$ 387,304$ 396,559$ 415,690$ 465,547$ 520,813$ 302,621$ 557,369$ 554,408$ 621,595$ 696,606$ 732,270$ 5.12%
February 273,373$ 302,246$ 323,359$ 344,160$ 366,980$ 431,510$ 466,915$ 439,735$ 503,451$ 524,327$ 596,021$ 426,144$ 716,045$ 735,450$ 687,480$ 745,586$ 844,531$ 13.27%
March 326,099$ 333,783$ 392,266$ 426,879$ 448,103$ 520,795$ 559,235$ 549,642$ 577,285$ 602,781$ 268,458$ 614,973$ 820,473$ 807,997$ 850,274$ 806,319$ 943,890$ 17.06%
April 423,158$ 451,133$ 475,913$ 486,850$ 564,617$ 610,894$ 609,439$ 708,724$ 641,919$ 741,364$ 69,184$ 742,477$ 1,068,408$ 1,056,663$ 1,025,966$ 1,034,160$ 1,160,041$ 12.17%
May 372,997$ 433,874$ 447,116$ 489,862$ 546,916$ 601,614$ 598,093$ 645,114$ 630,820$ 665,603$ 174,982$ 760,006$ 919,831$ 910,508$ 989,619$ 1,025,327$ 1,123,353$ 9.56%
June 490,326$ 512,543$ 578,234$ 610,948$ 630,729$ 727,028$ 731,038$ 765,362$ 796,899$ 835,727$ 409,945$ 973,975$ 1,100,000$ 1,160,330$ 1,201,226$ 1,317,578$ 1,284,032$ -2.55%missing 4 hotels
Total/Average 4,478,481$ 4,859,400$ 5,249,181$ 5,578,460$ 6,059,758$ 6,803,224$ 7,154,334$ 7,357,923$ 7,438,338$ 7,873,272$ 6,292,853$ 6,925,799$ 10,604,646$ 11,013,020$ 11,056,297$ 11,360,016$ 12,144,981$ 6.91%
2024-25 2025-26 Change +/- 2024-25 2025-26 Change +/- 2024-25 2025-26 Change +/-
July 83.3 81.5 -2.2%203.44$ 203.66$ 0.1%169.32$ 166.07$ -1.9%
August 77.0 78.4 1.8%194.96$ 195.11$ 0.1%150.17$ 152.98$ 1.9%
September 70.0 68.6 -2.0%184.04$ 186.68$ 1.4%128.89$ 128.14$ -0.6%
October 69.3 71.7 3.5%178.25$ 188.88$ 6.0%123.49$ 135.46$ 9.7%
November 66.7 64.9 -2.7%171.07$ 171.69$ 0.4%114.06$ 111.36$ -2.4%
December 59.7 60.1 0.7%146.24$ 147.73$ 1.0%87.35$ 88.76$ 1.6%
January 62.3 61.7 -1.0%144.11$ 145.77$ 1.2%89.82$ 90.01$ 0.2%
February 67.1 70.7 5.4%160.58$ 167.18$ 4.1%107.72$ 118.23$ 9.76%
March 65.7 72.5 10.4%161.64$ 162.88$ 0.8%106.23$ 118.12$ 11.19%
April 73.2 76.7 4.8%183.34$ 195.07$ 6.4%134.22$ 149.63$ 11.48%
May 70.0 71.5 2.1%181.87$ 192.74$ 6.0%127.37$ 137.79$ 8.18%
June 76 78.6 3.4%216.23$ 227.69$ 5.3%164.44$ 179.06$ 8.89%
Total/Average 70.03 71.41 2.0%177.15$ 182.09$ 2.8%125.26$ 131.30$ 4.8%Updated: 08/05/2026
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPAR*Figures from Smith Travel
Research Report
TOT Comparison
Page 13 of 37
Page 14 of 37
Public Relations
Contract
Report to the City of San
Luis Obispo – TBID & PCC
July 2026
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Page 15 of 37
SLO Chamber of Commerce
PUBLICATION PLACEMENTS UVPM RESULT OF
FORBES All-American San Luis Obispo Is A Great Summer
Weekend Getaway 47,212,504
MEDIA HOSTING IN
PARTNERSHIP W/
UNIQUELY DRIVEN
LUXE BEAT MAGAZINE SLO CAL Special Edition 7,524
MEDIA HOSTING IN
PARTNERSHIP
W/VISIT SLO CAL
INSTAGRAM Must visit cocktail bar in San Luis Obispo, Part 2 53,000
MEDIA HOSTING IN
PARTNERSHIP
W/AMTRAK
PACIFIC
SURFLINER
INSTAGRAM Must visit cocktail bar in San Luis Obispo, Part 3 53,000
MEDIA HOSTING IN
PARTNERSHIP
W/AMTRAK
PACIFIC
SURFLINER
Implementation and Proactive Work
Hosted Forbes writer Michael Goldstein in partnership with Uniquely Driven
Hosted Style Magazine writer Megan Wiskus-Lim
Hosted travel writer Avital Andrews in partnership with Uniquely Driven
Continued planning for travel writer Jennifer Chan’s upcoming visit in partnership with Uniquely
Driven.
Continued working with the City and Noble Studios/Uniquely Driven on overall tourism marketing
campaign.
2
Responsive Leads & Partnerships
Pitched “More Than A Museum”, “California’s summer of education & exploration” and “Beyond
the Postcard” to Visit California.
Reviewed August social media calendar for Central Coast Tourism Council .
Media Features
Proactive Work
Page 16 of 37
Media Features
Media Monitoring
JULY TOTALS:
Placements: 15
UVPM: 92,177,938
YEAR TO DATE TOTALS:
Placements: 15
UVPM: 92,177,938
3
SLO Chamber of Commerce
PUBLICATION PLACEMENTS UVPM
NEWSWEEK 15 Most Underrated US Travel Destinations Revealed 28,770,000
WORLD ATLAS The 8 Can't-Miss Towns In California 7,429,895
WORLD ATLAS 10 Strangest Landmarks in The United States 7,429,895
AIR MAIL How the Madonna Inn Became the Stuff of California Legend 318,330
KSBY Expansive list of restaurants opening in SLO includes new
offerings and some second locations 259,143
KSBY Day 1 of the Central Coast Renaissance Fair begins in San Luis
Obispo 259,143
EDHAT San Luis Obispo Awards $100,000 in Grants to 25 Arts
Organizations 191,912
7X7 The Perfect Long Weekend in SLO CAL: Outdoor Adventure +
Immersive Art in Central Coast Wine Country 82,909
HEAD TOPICS 15 most underrated US travel destinations—revealed 58,761
FAST FOOD CLUB A Quirky California Alley Has Over 1 Million Pieces of Chewed
Gum Stuck to Its Walls 29,602
TRAVEL2NEXT 10 Beautiful California Destinations That Aren’t Hollywood 22,320
Page 17 of 37
Page 18 of 37
Guest Services
Contract
Report to the City of San
Luis Obispo
July 2026
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Page 19 of 37
VISITOR INTERACTION
July
2025
June
2026
July
2026
Walk-Ins 5,422 5,001 4,670
Total Phone Calls 150 147 108
877-SLO-TOWN 55 39 18
Email & Digital 1,574 1,739 1,428
2
HOTEL REFERRALS
July
2025
June
2026
July
2026
Referrals 71 44 41
VISITOR TRAVEL MODES
Plane Car Train
July 2026 31%62%8%
INFORMATION REQUESTS
July
2025
June
2026
July
2026
Visit California 3 0 0
Organic Inquiry N/A N/A 4
PRINTED MATERIALS SHARED
July
2026 FYTD
Visitor Guide 64 64
Downtown Map 96 96
DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT
International Travelers
Asia 24%
Europe 44%
Middle East 0%
Australia/NZ 7%
UK 17%
North America 6%
Central America 0%
South America 2%
Africa 0%
Domestic Travelers
West Coast 10%
Southwest 25%
Midwest 16%
South 25%
East Coast 24%
California Travelers
Northern CA 28%
Central Coast 34%
Central Valley 6%
Desert 2%
Southern CA 29%
SLO Chamber of Commerce
EVENTS SHARED
July
2026 YTD
VisitSLO.com 67 251
Page 20 of 37
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Farmers’ Market
The Visitor Center continued to
connect with our visitors at our
Farmers’ Market booth during our 3
market dates on July 2 , July 9 , and
July 30 .
nd th
th
“I just got here but I already feel like the world and
all it’s troubles are far away from here ”
A man visiting for the first time from England that
was pleased to be staying in a city that was so smart
and orderly but still felt warm and comforting. He
was excited to explore our hiking trails, visit
SLOMA, and experience the Farmers’ Market he
read about.
SLO Days
Other Highlights
3
This month the Visitor Center joined
with our City partners, Jacqui and
Olivia, to give the incoming Cal Poly
families and supporters a taste of
“The SLO Life” at Cal Poly’s SLO Days
summer orientation series.
Guest Quote of the Month
Page 21 of 37
Page 22 of 37
Monthly Activity Report
Visit San Luis Obispo | July 2026
At-a-Glance Highlights
● Total Website Sessions: 57,306 (+6% YoY)
● Top Traffic Source: Organic Search
● Total Lodging Referrals: 4,285 (+13% YoY)
● Top Performing Ads by CTR on Meta:
○ SLO Life Coach | 65+ | Video | Intro | Cut Down (18.18%)
○ SLO Life Coach | 65+ | Video | Intro | Long Form (10.14%)
○ SLC | Remarketing | Static | v1 (8.84%)
● Earned Media Reach (Uniquely Driven PR Efforts):
○ Total Impressions/Circulation: 77,262,194
○ Placements: 28
Overall Performance Summary
With the wrap of the FY, we met or exceeded 3 of our 4 goals with Organic Sessions
coming in at 95% to goal. Given the landscape around search and zero-click, the
website traffic numbers are very strong. Each of the 3 KPIs (Overall Sessions, Paid
Sessions, and Hotel Referrals) that exceeded their goals also improved YoY.
Even though Organic Sessions didn’t meet our goal, it was still the top driving source for
traffic for all of July and came in second to Paid Search for Lodging Referrals.
We closed our FY by hitting our paid session goal and helping drive the hotel referral
goals. Paid Search is the standout performer for hotel referrals and site sessions. As we
look ahead to next year, we see opportunities in other channels to drive referrals and
boost impressions in Google search ads.
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Website
● Total Website Sessions: 57,306 (+6% YoY)
● Total Lodging Referrals: 4,282 (+13% YoY)
● Avg. Pages/Session: 1.98 (-7% YoY)
● Average Session Duration: 2m 41s (+2% YoY)
● Top Lodging Referral Channels: Paid Search, Organic Search and Referral
Paid Media Snapshot
● Paid Search
○ Sessions: 50,770 (+43% YoY)
○ Impressions: 46,224 (+431% YoY)
○ Clicks: 4,833 (+56% YoY)
○ CTR: 10.46% (+9 YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 2,300 (+32% YoY)
○ Cost: $10,915(+20% YoY)
● Paid Social
○ Sessions: 8,925 (+9% YoY)
○ Impressions: 630K (+66% YoY)
○ Clicks: 21K (+24% YoY)
○ CTR: 3.3% (-26% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 14 (-71% YoY)
○ Cost: $6K (+41% YoY)
● Display, Demand Gen, & PMAX
○ Sessions: 12,816 (+170% YoY)
○ Impressions: 953K (+20% YoY)
○ Clicks: 13,857 (+104% YoY)
○ CTR: 1.27% (+48.4% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 298 (+148% YoY)
○ Cost: $6,340 (+86% YoY)
● Demand Gen | Video
○ Sessions: 754 (N/A)
○ Impressions: 108,426 (N/A)
○ Clicks: 1,011 (N/A)
○ CTR: .93% (N/A)
○ Lodging Referrals: 20 (N/A)
○ Cost: $993 (N/A)
Key Insight:
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Having successfully achieved full-year partner referral targets and core performance
benchmarks, the remaining injection funds were strategically reallocated toward
top-of-funnel awareness, driving a 431% surge in Paid Search impressions.
Concurrently, Demand Gen and Performance Max (PMAX) optimizations transformed
these channels into dual drivers of both brand reach and downstream partner referrals.
Meta and Display maintained strong CPM efficiencies as top digital impression
generators, with scaled allocations planned for August to fulfill total injection targets.
This digital push was further amplified by regional media co-ops (LA Times, LA
Magazine, Sojern), which delivered 8.2 million impressions to expand destination visibility
across target markets.
Owned Channel Snapshot
SEO + Content
● Organic Search Sessions: 14, 588(-31% YoY)
● Organic Search Partner Referrals: 3,459 (-16% YoY)
● Organic Search Impressions: 1.4 Mil (-35% YoY)
● Organic Search Clicks: 9,576 (-37% YoY)
● Organic Search CTR: 0.68% (-2% YoY)
● Page 1 Keywords: 6.9K (+11% YoY)
● Sessions from LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc): 234 (+22% YoY)
● Partner Referrals from LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc): 41 (-36% YoY)
● Top Impression Gains: san luis obispo weather, farmers market, nates on marsh,
slo blues baseball, palm theater, cass winery, san luis obispo airport
● Top Click Losses: things to do in san luis obispo, sinsheimer pool, sunset drive in,
concerts in the plaza slo
AI Brand Presence & Visibility
● AI Total Ranking Analysis: Your brand mentions are up 5% and brand citations
increased 7% from the beginning of July to the end of the month.
● Google AIO Dominance vs. ChatGPT: ChatGPT dominates the AI citation, leading
with its highest presence on visitslo.com at 76%. ChatGPT this month beat
slocal.com with 59% of citations compared to their 50%.
● AI Traffic Dip: While partner referrals from LLMs softened year over year (-36%),
sessions increased 22% YoY.
○ Note: In July 2025, there was an update in information retrieval, causing a
drop in outbound referrals. The algorithm began consolidating citations
toward heavy authority domains like Reddit and Wikipedia, hiding brand
product pages behind aggregated summaries.
AI Brand Citations for the Week of July 5, 2026 (compared to Week July 26, 2026)
3
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Email Marketing
● Emails Sent: 1 - Wellness & Wine Are the Perfect SLO Pair
○ No July newsletter was sent in July 2025
● Avg. Open Rate: 47.6% (33.3% Benchmark)
● Avg. Click Rate: 1.00% (3.9% Benchmark)
● Avg. Unsubscribe Rate: 0.76% (0.35% benchmark)
● Total Sessions: 460 (+13% MoM)
● Total Partner Referrals: 102 (+117% MoM)
● Total Lodging Referrals: 52 (+63% MoM)
● Session Conversion Rate: 15.65% (+87% MoM)
● Engagement Rate: 57.17% (+5% MoM)
● Average Engagement Time Per Session: 44s (-5% MoM)
● Page Views Per Session: 1.91 (+16% MoM)
Web Maintenance & Creative
Website Maintenance, Repair & Optimization (MRO) Services
Fixed
- visitslo theme – Gallery block: Unitless blockGap: "0" in theme.json invalidated
Gallery column width calcs after WordPress 7.0.2 (images rendered full-size in the
editor); set global gap to "0px" and Gallery blockGap to 0.5em so editor and
frontend match.
Changed
- @wordpress/icons: 13.2.0 → 15.0.0
- @wordpress/scripts: 32.3.0 → 32.5.1
- swiper: 12.2.0 → 14.0.1
- action-scheduler: 3.9.3 → 4.0.0
4
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- advanced-custom-fields-pro: 6.8.4 → 6.8.6
- enable-media-replace: 4.1.9 → 4.2.2
- gravityforms: 2.10.3 → 2.10.5
- permalink-manager-pro: 2.5.3.5 → 2.5.4
- redirection: 5.8.0 → 5.9.0
- the-events-calendar: 6.16.3 → 6.17.1
- events-calendar-pro: 7.7.14 → 7.8.0
- tiny-compress-images: 3.6.14 → 3.7.0
- wp-mail-smtp: 4.8.0 → 4.9.0
- wordpress-seo: 27.8 → 28.1
- WordPress core: 6.9.4 → 7.0.2
Security
- Applies WordPress 7.0.2 critical security release: facilitated SQL injection in
WP_Query (CVE-2026-60137) and REST API batch-route confusion leading to
remote code execution (CVE-2026-63030 / wp2shell).
Website Services
● July Website Services Efforts:
○ 5.25h out of 124h were used for July 2026
■ Remaining hours: 118.75
○ Work Accomplished:
■ Event Filer Fix
■ Chamber pull update
■ SLO Days number pulls and reporting
Creative Services
● July Creative Services Efforts:
○ 27.5h out of 120 hours were utilized for July 2026
■ Remaining hours: 92.50
○ Work Accomplished:
■ Rewriting and refreshed creative for Cal Poly Ads (w/revisions)
Earned Media Activity
Earned Media Highlights
Total Impressions/Circulation: 77,262,194
Placements: 28
Media Hosted: 2
Press Coverage
5
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● 7/10/26: Forbes: All-American San Luis Obispo Is A Great Summer Weekend
Getaway (Michael Goldstein) (Reach: 47,212,504)
● 7/16/26: 7x7: The Perfect Long Weekend in SLO CAL: Outdoor Adventure +
Immersive Art in Central Coast Wine Country (Shoshi Parks) (Reach: 82,909)
● 7/22/26: Newsweek: 15 Most Underrated US Travel Destinations Revealed (Soo
Kim) (Reach: 18,092,255)
○ 25 Syndications: (Combined Reach: 11,874,526)
■ Miami Herald
■ The Charlotte Observer
■ The Sacramento Bee
■ Fort Worth Star-Telegram
■ Lexington Herald-Leader
■ The State
■ Tacoma News Tribune
■ Wichita Eagle
■ San Luis Obispo Tribune
■ Fresno Bee
■ Tri-City Herald
■ The Modesto Bee
■ The Sun News
■ The Bellingham Herald
■ Centre Daily Times
■ Belleville News-Democrat
■ The Olympian
■ The Island Packet
■ The Telegraph (Macon)
■ Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
■ Bradenton Herald
■ Mahoning Matters
■ Merced Sun-Star
■ The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC)
■ Nice News
Media Hosted
● Michael Goldstein, Contributing Writer (Forbes)
● Avital Andrews, Freelance Writer (7x7, FamilyVacationist, Smart Luxury,
TripAdvisor)
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SLO TBID - ShareSLO
Date: 08/12/26
ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
July 2026
Page 29 of 37
FOLLOWERS
ENGAGEMENT RATE
VIEWS
NET GROWTH
POSTS
ENGAGEMENTS
STORIES
INSTAGRAM
In July, we saw an increase in followers by 222 new users! Our views decreased because of the 58% spike in June, so we are
balancing back out. Our engagements and engagement rate both increased, so users are liking, saving, and sending more per
view. Our top content was a Ticket Tuesday giveaway, our new Local Interview Series, and our New Businesses in SLO feature.
44,432 222
228 209
300,604 7,314
2.4%
.5%
48%64%
216%
TOP POSTS:
Page 30 of 37
FOLLOWERS
ENGAGEMENT RATE
TOTAL IMPRESSIONS
NET GROWTH
POSTS
ORGANIC
VIDEO VIEWS
ENGAGEMENTS
FACEBOOK
In July, our new followers increased by 582! Our video views and total impressions decreased, although our organic
impressions increased by 222%, due to the decrease in paid ad views. Our engagements and engagement rate both
increased substantially. Top performing content was two of the same posts from IG and a Railroad District To-Dos itinerary.
TOP POSTS:
109,714 582
19 148,143
852,189 274,397
.7%
.5%
38%222%
436%
22%
5,664 231%Page 31 of 37
FOLLOWERS
ENGAGEMENTS
NET GROWTH
POSTS
ENGAGEMENT RATE
IMPRESSIONS
TIKTOK
In July, we saw an increase in followers by 101 new users! Our impressions and engagements decreased slightly, but we are
implementing posting twice a week instead of once to see if this helps us grow.
TOP POSTS:
3,599 101
8
553 4.3%
3%
19.5%3%
12,813 22%
Page 32 of 37
FOLLOWERS
ENGAGEMENTS
NET GROWTH
POSTS
ENGAGEMENT RATE
IMPRESSIONS
LINKEDIN
In July, we saw an increase in followers by 10 new users! Our impressions, engagements, and engagement rate decreased
due to the natural dip in online activity during the summer. We will consideration this as we create the next calendar.
TOP POSTS:
566 10
4
16 6.7%
1.8%
24%7.2%
239 18%
Page 33 of 37
AUDIENCE
IMPRESSIONS
ENGAGED AUDIENCE
OUTBOUND CLICKS
ENGAGEMENTS
SAVES
PINTEREST
In July, we saw a slight decrease in activity. Although the analytics have decreased, we are happy with the success we are
seeing on this platform and will continue to mirror from IG. We will keep in mind the lowered online presence over the summer
months.
TOP POSTS:
3,120 195
2
7,040 257
16%
54 30%
14%
23%19%
Page 34 of 37
WHAT WE WORKED ON THIS MONTH
- 2 Ticket Tuesdays
- Shakespeare Festival (23.2k Views)
- Blues Baseball Closing Weekend (5.4k Views)
- Trending Content
- Euro Summer Video Carousel (13.1k Views)
- Wipe My Camera Sunset Reel (11.4k Views)
- 5 Things Worth The Money in SLO Reel (8.4k Views)
- Railroad District To Dos Reel (156k Views)
- New Businesses in SLO Reel (26.1k Views)
- Instituted Video Carousels & Split Screen Reels
- MidWeekend Happy Hour (13.3k Views)
- Sando & Beaches Pairing (10.9k Views)
- 5 invited collabs (@downtownslofarmersmarket, @mustangwaterpark, @corazoncafeslo)
- SLO Life Coach & Life Tip Reel & Stories, Events Highlights, PR Placements in Stories
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AUGUST’S FOCUS
- Outdoor / Summer Content
- Matcha & Beaches Pairings
- MidWeekend Live Music in SLO
- A Dog Day in SLO
- Ticket Tuesday Giveaways
- PACSLO 30th Anniversary
- SLO Symphony
- New Businesses in SLO Reel
- Hub n Spoke : Lake Nacimiento
- Trending Content / Interactive Reels /
Video Carousels
- Reels
- August Events in SLO
- New Businesses in SLO
- Welcome Mustang Parents in SLO
- Use Your Marriott Points in SLO
- Whimsical Shops in SLO
- Local Interview : Coffee Shops
- SLO Loves to Sweat
Page 36 of 37
THANK YOU!
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