Coachella Valley Celebrates Travel, Tourism

The Coachella Valley and the state of California have suffered through a rough couple of years. Job cuts, furlough days and budget cuts in education have hurt many businesses.

But one constant during the recession is the strong tourism base, and on Tuesday, travel experts celebrated “Travel Rally Day” and a booming industry.

“As Humphrey Bogart said, ‘I came for the waters, but I was misinformed,'” said Steve Gett, a tourist traveling from England.

He said he was pleasantly surprised by Palm Springs. He landed in the Coachella Valley six months ago for a vacation. But, he fell in love with the place.

“It’s a beautiful refuge. It’s peaceful,” he explained. “There’s plenty going on if you want to get involved in the nightlife and some great restaurants.”

Golf, shopping and casinos. Every city in the valley is equipped to entertain.

“We’ve been chose one of the most romantic hotels in the whole United States by TripAdvisor.com,” said Gabby Grimolvi, manager of the San Giuliano Hotel in Palm Springs, which has only eight suites.

“We have a lot of repeat customers coming to the hotel,” she said.

But, staying at the San Giuliano was an easy decision for Hank and Carol Surface. Both said they love the weather in the Coachella Valley.

“We were going to go to Carmel, because we wanted to go to a dog-friendly place and play with the dog,” said Carol Surface. “But, it was too cold.”

It was also an easy drive to the valley for the Surfaces, considering that they live in Beverly Hills.

“I like the fact that everyone’s really tolerant here,” said Hank Surface.

“Obviously, there’s a huge gay and lesbian presence here which is great,” said Gett. “That always brings for great crowds coming in. You’ve got the Coachella Fest [and] you’ve got the Stagecoach.”

U.S. Travel Rally Day was Tuesday in Riverside County, as well as Travel and Tourism week. Travel and Tourism is one of California’s largest industries, according to the California Travel and Tourism Commission.

In 2009, Domestic and International travelers spent more than $87 billion in the valley.

“It’s the perfect staycation,” said Elaine Gamer, with Hotel Zoso.

Gamer believes travel will always be the backbone of the Coachella Valley.

“We need to make sure everyone knows how welcoming we are and it’s a great destination for people to meet and relax as a staycation,” said Gamer.

According to the CTTC, the number of tourists expected to visit the state in 2010 will rise 3 percent compared to last year.