What started as a quiet year for Santa Barbara tourism has picked up during the spring season. 

Hotel occupancy was at 74% from February to April, which is a 10% increase from the same time last year, according to Visit Santa Barbara President and CEO Kathy Janega-Dykes. 

“The first half of the fiscal year was essentially flat,” Janega-Dykes said. “When we forecasted this year, we actually thought it was going to be a very kind of quiet year, and it was, but we began to see this meaningful increase in demand beginning in February, and that momentum really accelerated in March and April.”

Janega-Dykes spoke about the state of Santa Barbara tourism at the annual Visit Santa Barbara general meeting Wednesday at the Rosewood Miramar Hotel, which included several members of the hospitality industry, local elected officials and other organizations.

Janega-Dykes said the occupancy for the current fiscal year — which covers July 2025 to June 2026 — so far is at 72%, a 2% increase from the previous year.

Looking at travel trends, Janega-Dykes said many travelers are booking closer to their trips, so hotels are seeing more last-minute demand. She also said that because of the warmer spring, more travelers chose to visit coastal cities rather than snowy mountains. 

“We are also hearing that some travelers are choosing to stay closer to home, whether because of the cost of travel, concerns about flying, delays, or uncertainty around international travel,” Janega-Dykes said.

“That works to our advantage because our primary visitor base includes Los Angeles and other major drive markets that are just a short trip away.”

The meeting also included a panel discussion with Kelly Barsky, director of athletics at UC Santa Barbara; Charles Hopper, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo; and Sherry Villanueva, managing partner of Acme Hospitality.

Barsky spoke about the work she’s been doing to prepare for the FIFA World Cup practices later this year. 

The Austrian National Soccer Team will arrive and stay in Goleta next month during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The team, Österreichische Fußballnationalmannschaft, will practice at UC Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium and stay at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara throughout the tournament.

“Many of us are talking about what restaurants are going to have these specials, and where can we have showings of the Team USA, but also Team Austria, that’s going to be at UCSB,” Barsky said.

She added that they want to “engage and bring the community together through this platform of sport in a way that’s authentic and thoughtful.”

Villanueva spoke about the work she did to help revitalize the Funk Zone around 15 years ago. 

“We really went all in to contribute to a neighborhood that had really incredible roots in the arts, incredible roots in the local community, in their connection to the ocean, in particular, and it’s just been an incredible journey,” Villanueva said. 

The Lark, Lucky Penny, Loquita, the Santa Barbara Wine Collective, Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant, Notary Public and Helena Avenue Bakery are all food and drink venues under Acme Hospitality management. 

She explained that when she gave tours of the Funk Zone neighborhood, people thought she lost her mind, but she held on to the vision she had for the district. 

“It’s been just an incredible privilege and honor to watch it unfold,” Villanueva said. “And now it’s filled with all kinds of small businesses and entrepreneurs and interesting business owners and craftsmen.”

Hopper spoke about the role that the Santa Barbara Zoo plays in the tourism economy, explaining that attractions such as the zoo create core memories to which visitors want to return.

He said when visitors come to the zoo and “engage with our mission,” there is a “core memory that’s created in that … and that sparks and ignites a compounding effect onto what your experience in the region is.”

He also shared that he’s eager to partner with local nonprofit organizations, businesses and hotels to help create experiences that encourage visitors to stay overnight and visit multiple attractions. 

“I think the zoo and other cultural attractions are this unique force multiplier that any of your businesses could leverage and figure out how we could partner better to drive economic tourism to this region, but also help us achieve our mission,” he added.