Tourists still visiting Santa Barbara as Summer comes to a close

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Fiesta festivities have died down and students are going back to school, but that’s not stopping people from seeking out Santa Barbara as a vacation destination. 

Tourism experts in Santa Barbara say that peak summer lasts from July 4th weekend through Labor Day weekend.

“The girls are going back to school on Wednesday, so we decided to bring them over and have some fun before they go back to school,” said Sonia Delfin, who was visiting from Simi Valley. 

Guests find that prices are more affordable by waiting for schools to reopen in August and September.

Visiting families tend to shift from longer summer vacation stays to weekends when they visit their kids. 

“Families from UCSB, they come and visit their kids because, you know, they take like visiting and vacation at the same time. So I think this town is kind of made up of tourists, to be honest,” said Marilyn Weaver, a student in Santa Barbara.

Travelers like Diane Klein are excited to prioritize travel back into their lives, while still remaining cautious about monkeypox and Covid trends.

“I always love Santa Bar. We used to come here all the time in vacation and I just kind of like, make it an annual little visit. I love it. The Santa Barbara's just beautiful,” said Klein, who was visiting with a friend from Long Beach

For Diane, Santa Barbara will always occupy a special place in her heart. 

“To be honest with you, it’s my mother's favorite place. And her ashes are right out there off the pier, so I just kind of come and take a little pilgrimage,” said Klein 

Whether people come for the weather or to visit family, Visit Santa Barbara says one thing is clear— the Santa Barbara south coast has been doing well, regularly outpacing other major cities in California.