Tourists choosing Lodi for summer getaways

Lodi is becoming increasingly popular as a summer destination for tourists.

As its reputation as a major hub for wine enthusiasts continues to grow, tourists are choosing Lodi for summer getaways.

“Summer is a peak visitation time for Lodi,” Visit Lodi President and chief executive officer Nancy Beckman said. “It is not unusual to see hotel occupancy increase 10-15 percent or more during these months.”

According to Beckman, Lodi hosts many events throughout the summer including art shows, car shows, beer festivals, music events, kayaking events and more.

However, while these events are great visitor draws, it is the city’s reputation as a premiere wine country destination that sustains year-round visitation.

“The bottom line is that we are a wine country destination. Our wineries are our claim to tourism fame. That is our draw to the area,” Beckman said.

Stuart Spencer, executive director of the Wine Grape Commission, agreed with Beckman’s comments.

“Lodi continues to get more and more on people’s radar as a wine country destination, and we are seeing year after year traffic increases,” Spencer said. “People are continuing to come from farther and farther away to the area, and we’re seeing people from all across the country that are coming to Lodi regularly to taste wine.”

According to Spencer, the summer months historically tend to be quieter as most major wine events are held in the spring and fall.

However, the number of visitors during the week is expanding, he said.

“We’re seeing increased traffic now compared to previous years,” Spencer said. “Even though we aren’t hosting any large regional events, many of the wineries continue to put a lot of activities at their properties that are also bringing people into the area,” Spencer said.

This summer has been really busy for Tricia Descent, owner of the Poppy Sisters Inn Bed and Breakfast.

“They’re here for everything,” she said. “A lot of people are here for weddings and wine tasting. I get a fair amount of business from my neighborhood, a lot of locals who have family coming in for events. I’ve been surprised at how many local folks are using the Inn to house family.”

According to Craig Forrest, the owner of Bordeaux Inn, the bed and breakfast was really busy between April and June, but now that July has hit, things have seemed to quiet down a little bit.

However, last July and August they had solid bookings and Forrest anticipates the same for this year.

“If you’re going to have a fiveperson oversight committee, my suggestion is that you should be as clear as possible about where that money is going to go and what each of those three categories means.” board member Tom Alexander said.

Gerlack agreed with Alexander, saying that those questions and more will be answered when the board begins holding town hall meetings to educate the public about the tax and solicit their input following Friday’s meeting and that the oversight committee would submit annual reports, explaining where the money is spent.

“It’s about building trust with the community,” Gerlack said. “That way, they can know where the money is going and what it’s being used for. It’s about transparency.”