Once sleepy Paso Robles coming into its own as world-class tourism destination
Jun. 25—Paso Robles used to be a place travelers from the valley passed through to get to the blue waters and sandy beaches of the Central Coast.
Now Paso, situated miles inland from the shoreline, has become a destination in its own right. The tourism industry here is virtually exploding with growth and investment, as increasing numbers of restaurants, wine-tasting rooms, craft beer and wine bars, and even a craft distillery trail compete for a growing tourism market.
"I have had a tasting room in downtown Paso for six years and have witnessed a lot of change, but the pace seems to have picked up a lot in the last year or so," says Glenna Thompson, owner and winemaker at Symbiosis Wines.
"When I moved in, we had 13 tasting rooms downtown, and the newest map shows 29," Thompson says. "Many of these are new, lots of the old ones are gone, and now wine bars are included as well."
Travel Paso, which bills itself as the city's leading destination marketing organization, confirms that something exciting is happening in the city of close to 32,000 residents. In fiscal year 2021, Paso's transient occupancy tax — the local tax tourists pay when they stay in hotels, RV resorts or short-term rentals — generated a record $7 million in revenue from visitors to Paso.
In fiscal year 2019, the most recent pre-pandemic year, total TOT reached $6 million almost on the dot, says Mike Dawson, media strategist for Travel Paso.
And increasing visitor demand appears to be spurring growth in the lodging sector. Indeed, according to Dawson, there were 1,453 hotel rooms in 2019. Currently, Paso Robles has 1,748 hotel rooms.
Stacie Jacob, Travel Paso's executive director, also cited the city's cultural events, marquee concerts (Jason Mraz plays at Vina Robles on July 5) and art exhibits such as the Field of Light at Sensorio.
"Thanks to its world-class wineries, its award-winning restaurants and lodging options, its proximity to the beach, and a wide array of experiences from Sensorio to e-bike tours in the vineyard to our craft distillery trail, Paso Robles has become a must-visit destination," Jacob says. "While we have become a national and even international destination, one of our key core audiences remains to be our drive-market, including of course Bakersfield and the Central Valley, as well as the Bay Area, L.A. and San Diego."
Thompson at Symbiosis Wines says competing in Paso's new reality is not all wine and roses for a "one-woman show" like hers. The appearance of big-money investors is a double-edged sword.
"I am seeing party buses daily on the street now, which has never happened before," she says. "Seeing how many people in this group are making their first trip to Paso really highlights how things are booming."
It's easy for the "small guys" to resent tourists flocking to corporate-run wineries, she says.
"Their national marketing and huge budgets have really brought Paso into the limelight, and I'm sure the phenomenon we are witnessing has a lot to do with that."
