Holiday weekend tourism in the valley not deterred by rising temperatures or pandemic

Despite one of the hottest weekends this year and the lingering pandemic, travelers and locals flocked to downtown Palm Springs to enjoy a day of sunshine, shopping and dining out.

"We’re out here visiting grandparents. The whole family just recently got fully vaccinated so it’s the first time in over a year that we’ve been able to see them," said San Diego resident, Allyse Besne.

Travelers crowded sidewalks and flooded the tourist destination on one of the warmest days so far in 2021.

"Happy to be out here, it’s a beautiful day. It’s a little hot and warm," said Menifee resident, Paul Wilkinson.

Wilkinson met up with his friend and Florida resident, Andy Eckman. Both have been friends for 30 years.

"We went to the air museum and then we just had lunch over here at one of these burger places," Wilkinson said.

With the influx of tourists it was no surprise to hear from the Palm Springs Hospitality Association President, Aftab Dada, that hotels were nearly full to the brim over the holiday weekend.

"In fact I just checked online and except for a few limited service hotels, there are absolutely no rooms, neither in Palm Springs nor anywhere in the Coachella Valley," said Dada.

Dada said recent weeks have shown a sharp increase compared to months prior.

"Spring break is always a busy time in the desert but the pent up demand has gone up so much because of the pandemic," said Dada.

Popular restaurant, Grand Central, in downtown was among those experiencing an influx of guests.

"This is the beginning of spring break and Easter weekend so we ramped up and we were ready for it today," said general manager, Bob Wills.

Despite a busy Saturday afternoon, Wills said it was cut short after water had accidentally been turned off at Grand Central and neighboring restaurants.

"We had to shut down the restaurant," said Wills.

News Channel 3 reached out to the City of Palm Springs to find out what happened. It was unclear why water went out in the area.

Wills said the water was eventually restored, but it was about 1 to 2 hours of lost sales.

Overall the restaurant's sales are starting to pick back up after having limited services offered due to the pandemic.

"We have seen a marked increase in business. It's gone up I’d say at least 40 percent. During the week it’s normally a lot of locals, they come by. We have gotten people from out of town during the week and our numbers during the week are just amazing," said Wills.