-April20,2019-
Visitors stayed home as storms pounded the state
Hotel occupancy across the Central Coast dropped in February 2019 compared to the year before, the latest figures available Morro Bay saw its hotel occupancy fall to 47% compared to 55% in February 2018, typically the quietist month of the year anyway. The measure of profitability – RevPar( revenue per available room) dropped to $48 compared to $58 for Feb 2018 according to the Morro Bay Business Improvement District.
Morro Bay was not alone as the doldrums hit virtually every other Central Coast city. One key factor was the frequent closure of Highway 1 in February which was a stormy month to say the least. Highway 1 through Big Sur suffered frequent closures as Caltrans regularly closed two sections through Big Sur often as a safety precaution because of approaching storm systems.
Morro Bay itself had 12 days of rain in February vs 1 in February 2018, a drought year according to the city tourism group. Of course tourism is flourishing now that the rains are gone and the flowers are everywhere.
Typical weather this past February was the arrival of well publicized atmospheric river events with their subtropical moisture from the waters south of Hawaii. In some cases the bullseye for the storms appeared to be the Central Coast around Big Sur, where rainfall totals were near 6 inches at the highest peaks.
Wet weather statewide likely kept travelers at home likely into March.
Statewide hotel occupancy averaged 73.9 percent through February 2019, a 0.1 percent decrease year over year says Smith Travel.Rain did not hurt everyone however, as San Francisco hotel occupancy was up in February despite all those storms.