“Everyone should stay away from Southern California,” is how Reynolds Wolf of CNN described the situation with the still uncontained wildfires on Oct. 27.
I couldn't believe such a statement had just been made. Southern California is a huge piece of real estate, and viewers watching that segment of Wolf broadcasting from Rancho Bernardo were left with an incorrect and mistaken impression that fires had engulfed every square inch of San Diego. It's hard to believe this tragedy was only but a month or so ago.
I joined San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and other tourism industry leaders on the same day of Wolf's broadcast to publicly announce that San Diego was open for business. The setting was the entrance to the San Diego Zoo. It was clear that the mayor comprehended the enormous damage to life and property resulting from the fires that continued to threaten folks in both the county and city of San Diego. He also had a keen awareness of the economic impact these fires had on the region's third largest industry, tourism.
The Carlsbad Convention & Visitors Bureau remained open the entire week, even with a voluntary evacuation notice that was given to certain areas of Carlsbad. Volunteers kept the Visitor Information Center open, answered a stream of incoming phone calls and handled walk-ins who were in desperate need of lodging accommodations. In several instances, phone calls were made to find housing in private homes as it became clear early in this crisis that every room was filled in Carlsbad. One volunteer, Cynthia McPherson, chose to stay on to assist beyond her three-hour shift, making it possible to keep our center open until the 5 o'clock hour.
A day before joining the mayor at the zoo, the bureau sent out a notice to thousands of individuals in our database to tell them, “No fires in Carlsbad, blue skies above.” The e-mail message started out with: “Fortunately for Carlsbad, the San Diego wildfires did not directly affect our coastal community. LEGOLAND is open, restaurants are serving, folks are walking along the beach and our hotels are welcoming guests for the weekend!” The following day, essentially the same message would be given by the mayor and tourism industry leaders. It's not only what we needed to hear, but those words conveyed reassurance to the entire world as the greater San Diego region battled the worst of what the Santa Ana's could dish out.
The bureau's message ended with: “From all of us in Carlsbad, we thank you for your concern and outpouring of support. Our community is open for business, and we are ready to welcome you whenever you arrive!”
I couldn't believe such a statement had just been made. Southern California is a huge piece of real estate, and viewers watching that segment of Wolf broadcasting from Rancho Bernardo were left with an incorrect and mistaken impression that fires had engulfed every square inch of San Diego. It's hard to believe this tragedy was only but a month or so ago.
I joined San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and other tourism industry leaders on the same day of Wolf's broadcast to publicly announce that San Diego was open for business. The setting was the entrance to the San Diego Zoo. It was clear that the mayor comprehended the enormous damage to life and property resulting from the fires that continued to threaten folks in both the county and city of San Diego. He also had a keen awareness of the economic impact these fires had on the region's third largest industry, tourism.
The Carlsbad Convention & Visitors Bureau remained open the entire week, even with a voluntary evacuation notice that was given to certain areas of Carlsbad. Volunteers kept the Visitor Information Center open, answered a stream of incoming phone calls and handled walk-ins who were in desperate need of lodging accommodations. In several instances, phone calls were made to find housing in private homes as it became clear early in this crisis that every room was filled in Carlsbad. One volunteer, Cynthia McPherson, chose to stay on to assist beyond her three-hour shift, making it possible to keep our center open until the 5 o'clock hour.
A day before joining the mayor at the zoo, the bureau sent out a notice to thousands of individuals in our database to tell them, “No fires in Carlsbad, blue skies above.” The e-mail message started out with: “Fortunately for Carlsbad, the San Diego wildfires did not directly affect our coastal community. LEGOLAND is open, restaurants are serving, folks are walking along the beach and our hotels are welcoming guests for the weekend!” The following day, essentially the same message would be given by the mayor and tourism industry leaders. It's not only what we needed to hear, but those words conveyed reassurance to the entire world as the greater San Diego region battled the worst of what the Santa Ana's could dish out.
The bureau's message ended with: “From all of us in Carlsbad, we thank you for your concern and outpouring of support. Our community is open for business, and we are ready to welcome you whenever you arrive!”