Pismo Beach remains the powerhouse destination for visitors coming to the Central Coast.
About 2.5 million people visit Pismo Beach yearly with some 2100 hotel rooms.
Figures from Smith Travel show the latest published weekly period from March 24 -30, well before the busy tourism season here.
Pimso Beach recorded the highest hotel occupancy at 75% in the county and an average daily rate, also the highest of $210. Hotels are key to this beach town’s economy with the Cliffhouse Hotel, the largest employer in town with 230 workers.
By contrast, beach town Morro Bay with its own multi-mile stretch of sand has about 1000 hotel rooms with an occupancy rate over the same weekly period of 65.5% and an average daily rate of $129.50 or just 60% of what they get in Pismo. These numbers fluctuate, but typically Pismo Beach stays on top.
Bed tax receipts in Pismo Beach as of the 21/22 fiscal year were over $17 million with the town’s 11% tax rate compared to $5.4 million in Morro Bay with its 10% TOT tax rate.