Oxnard Guide Seeks to Lure Meetings, Tours

Meeting planners and tour operators throughout Southern California can expect to receive copies of the first “Oxnard Destination Guide” by the end of this month.

The 36-page color guide is being published by the Greater Oxnard & Harbors Tourism Bureau, in conjunction with the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce.

Carol Lavender, executive director of the tourism bureau, said more than 25,000 copies of the guide will be printed for distribution throughout Southern California and in Oxnard hotels and motels.

“There has always been a Chamber of Commerce directory,” Lavender said, but “this is the first time we’ve had anything like this.” She said the cost of the publication is $30,000 to $35,000, which will be covered by advertising revenue.

The destination guide will provide listings of lodging, restaurants, shops, recreational opportunities, points of interest and meeting rooms available in the city, as well as a map of Oxnard and a calendar of the city’s major events through 1996. The publication will also feature a look at the city’s history and economic development.

Lavender said a main purpose of the guide is to provide a description of Oxnard’s amenities to Southern California businesses looking for locations to hold out-of-town meetings.

“In the center section of the guide are displays of meeting rooms throughout the city,” she said. “We have the dimensions of the rooms and their seating capacities.”

Although the tourism bureau will handle most of the out-of-town distribution of the guide, some of the general Oxnard population may lend a hand. Through its newly implemented “Oxnard Tourism Partner” program, the bureau is asking residents to show off the magazine and other promotional brochures when traveling outside the area.