Oxnard Tourism Drive Brings Quick Results

From 1991 to 1994, Oxnard was without a tourism agency to promote the city as a travel destination. So when the Greater Oxnard & Harbors Tourism Bureau resumed operation in 1994, officials had to begin an advertising campaign largely from scratch.

The success of that marketing was unclear until recently.

Results from a visitor survey, completed last week, indicate that from July 1994 to June 1995, 70% of the people who contacted the Oxnard tourism office after seeing or hearing its travel ads ultimately came to visit.

The majority of those tourists made at least two trips to Oxnard, staying an average of 3.2 days per visit.

“We are elated,” said Carol Lavender, executive director of the Oxnard tourism bureau. “We had no idea the visitor percentage would be that high. Oxnard’s perceived image is getting better, and with this study we can prove it.”

Of 900 people contacted in the survey, 180 responded. According to the survey, tourists who visited Oxnard as a direct result of the 1994-95 ad campaign spent more than $2 million in the city. The bureau spent about $95,000 on the campaign.

The bureau promotes Oxnard through newspaper and television ads in the San Fernando Valley, Bakersfield, Palmdale and Lancaster, and in travel publications such as Westways magazine. Lavender said the bureau has stepped up its advertising in fiscal 1995-96 and is developing a marketing plan for 1996-97.

“Now that we’ve found out this is working so well, we need to stay consistent and keep hitting the same [regions],” Lavender said. “Within a year we’ll probably expand to Northern California and the San Diego area, too.”

In addition to the positive statistics, Lavender said she was pleased with general comments tourists made about the city.

“They said Oxnard is a beautiful beach city, with friendly people and a friendly atmosphere,” she said. “People said it was an easy getaway from home.”

Respondents pointed to the Oxnard Factory Outlet and the Channel Islands Harbor as the main draws. The Carnegie Cultural Arts Center and Heritage Square were among other attractions they said would bring them back to Oxnard.

The visitor study was conducted by InfoVision Systems of Ojai, which handles consumer research for travel and tourism businesses, corporations and other clients internationally, to help establish marketing plans.

Ronda LaRue, president of InfoVision Systems, said she was surprised at the extent of the rave reviews for Oxnard.

“There was really, really resounding interest in Oxnard. People really seemed excited about the area,” said LaRue, who recently completed a similar tourism study for Santa Barbara. “Oxnard is really sitting on a gold mine. They can get to be where Santa Barbara is now.”