The rebound of Los Angeles tourism coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic is represented by a top local destination, which has reported growth in tourist numbers and visitor spending over the past year despite economic uncertainties.
This month, the Marina del Rey Tourism Board released the 2023 Economic Impact of Tourism Study for the waterfront locale, which plays a pivotal role in Los Angeles tourism as a whole. The study showed that tourism in the Marina generated an estimated economic impact of $638 million in 2023, with overnight visitors surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. During the year, Marina del Rey hosted 551,726 overnight visitors, beating the 2019 total by 14% and gaining 3,014 visitors over the 2022 total.
Tourism Board CEO Janet Zaldua stated that it has been a “great opportunity” working in the Marina, which was designed by Los Angeles County to be a recreational destination with activities ranging from parasailing and other water sports to more quiet lounge atmospheres buoyed by local hotels.
“A lot of people refer to us as being a hidden gem,” Zaldua said. “It’s just got that small community resort feel, a little bit tucked away from the hustle and bustle, but we’ve still got amazing accommodations.”
Overseeing one of the area’s premiere local hotels, Marina del Rey Hotel General Manager Dan Zwim echoed the sentiment, stating that the locale was attractive for him to start conducting business in 2022.
“It’s just such an awesome location,” Zwim said. “It’s central, close to the airport, close to the beaches, close to Venice and Santa Monica, yet [it’s] a little bit quieter, so you can experience [everything] really easily, but then have a more serene surroundings when you’re coming back for dinner [or] to relax at night.”
The total measurable state and local tax revenues generated by visitor spending for Marina del Rey equated to approximately $62 million in 2023, which was a 4% increase from 2022. The locale’s tourism sector supported just over 3,000 jobs, a 0.9% rise from the prior year.
Another increase was in the Transient Occupancy Tax procured by Marina’s hotels, a 3% rise from 2022 to approximately $15 million. Commonly known as the hotel bed tax, the seven hotels that fall within the Marina boundary partially fund tourist-attracting events and attractions. In Fiscal Year 2023-24, this funding brought programming such as fireworks celebrations on July 4th and New Year’s Eve, as well as the summer season Beach Eats gourmet food truck series and Marina Movie Nights.
“It’s really nice to have folks that just live in the LA area and feel welcome coming to Marina del Rey … [they can] come for a visit or a staycation … there’s always some type of activity that’s taking place,” Zaldua said.
Direct visitor spending in 2023 was an estimated $409.7 million, an annual increase of 2.5% and a 27.4% rise from the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. However, these gains were mostly due to inflation costs, as inflation-adjusted growth since 2019 is equal to 7.5%.
Zaldua stated that businesses have been “absorbing the cost” of inflation, particularly hotels and restaurants having to deal with increased food and lodging costs, with “everyone” having to adjust. She added that a softer tourism start to 2024 has been a “little discouraging,” pointing to the “unique” circumstances of inflation along with 2024 being an election year.
Being in the hospitality industry for 30 years, Zwim said there have always been ups and downs with inflation, but the past few years have been “the craziest” he’s seen.
“From our standpoint, our supplies cost a lot more, our food products cost way, way more and [there’s] pressure on wages and salaries increasing in the last couple of years [that] has really put a pinch on us,” Zwim added.
For the Marina del Rey Hotel, adjustments have meant that Zwim and his staff have had to operate “more lean” where they can without impacting the guest experience. Changes for the hotel have included the implementation of QR codes for bar and pool ordering to decrease labor, as well as asking guests if they want housekeeping services or not to streamline that process. This month, the hotel intends to open a “Grab and Go” lobby cafe to aid visitors who don’t want to break the bank at restaurants.
The rest of 2024 will be dedicated to fighting off the rising costs, as well as highlighting recently completed projects such as renovations to the Hilton Garden Inn, Jamaica Bay Inn and Sisley Spa at The Ritz-Carlton. For more information on Marina del Rey tourism and to view the full 2023 economic impact report, go to visitmdr.com