Local businesses ‘better than ever’ despite no festival season again
While the Empire Polo Club in Indio sits unusually quiet during what should be the start of festival season in the Coachella Valley, downtown Palm Springs is bustling with life.
"This year we're finding business is better than ever before," said Jeffrey Bernstein, owner of Destination PSP. He said as the pandemic eases up, restaurants and stores are full of customers – something Stagecoach and Coachella don't always guarantee.
"Normally every year, they rent their hotels and vacation rentals, but they spend most of their time at the festival," Bernstein said. "That's where they do a lot of their shopping and eating."
This year, with no festivals but plenty of people, the businesses are reaping the benefits.
"They're out shopping, dining and walking around downtown," Bernstein said. 'There's no big events or parties or anything so they are experiencing the city, which is great."
Chief Economist Michael Bracken at Development Management Group, Inc. in Palm Desert said the financial impacts of losing festival season, along with major events like the BNP Paribas Open, are not to underestimated. "The short answer is billions of dollars," Bracken said.
But he said the pandemic has brought new opportunities as well, including broadening the tourism market here in the valley. For instance – securing regular flights to Palm Springs International Airport via Southwest Airlines.
"The fact that Southwest Airlines, probably partly because of the pandemic, is now making a home in smaller markets than they used to, is a huge benefit to our region," Bracken said.
But are the benefits being felt valley-wide, beyond just Palm Springs? Restaurant manager Norma Cruz said yes, at least as far as Pueblo Viejo Grill in Indio.
With a restaurant as full as the orange tier allows, Cruz said the effects of a canceled festival season are few to none.
"It would be nice that it would be here; it's a whole different vibe. We love it," she said. "But so far right now we have been really busy and very blessed with what we have."
