California tourism authorities are literally on a drive to help relieve over-tourism at California’s most popular destinations, by promoting road trips throughout the state on its many kilometres of scenic highways and byways.
Visit California recently published a colourful new catalogue of driving journeys, called “California Road Trips: 50 Life-Changing Adventures,” which features 50 detailed itineraries that cover 14,929 miles of road – including coastal routes, desert highways, mountain passes and more.
Then, during the IPW conference and travel trade mart in Anaheim, a new web site that focuses on California driving adventures was debuted.
The Road Trip Republic web site (https://www.visitcalifornia.com/road-trips) presents a broad selection of road tripping itineraries, including the recommended allotted number of days to complete each trip, the length in miles, the starting and ending points, an interactive map, and details of attractions at each stop on route.
While the hard copy Road Trips magazine can serve as an inspirational piece to be perused at leisure, the web site is an effective tool to activate any California road trip plans for visitors, said California tourism officials.
Even more importantly, from an environmental perspective, the road tripping web site and magazine serve to provide travel options in California that can relieve over-tourism trends, said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California.
“We have launched a sustainability plan and Road Trip Republic is an activation of that plan,” said Beteta, in an interview with PressToday. “We are spreading the love by encouraging more travel throughout the state, and not just in the warm months, but in other seasons as well. This is how we are addressing over-tourism.”
“California Road Trips: 50 Life-Changing Adventures” showcases 634 points of interest, and offers insightful tips on 97 museums and roadside attractions; 92 culinary establishments; 54 hotels and other accommodations; and 36 state and national parks.
“Visit California is serving the content – both print and digital – to inspire travellers to embark on a life-changing journey,” said Beteta.
Pictured, Caroline Beteta (c), president and CEO of Visit California, with her executive team during IPW 2019 in Anaheim.