How a Little-Known California Surf Town Hopes to Win Over Luxury Tourists
Skift Take
Upon hearing the names Laguna Niguel and Newport Beach, do you start itching to experience the luxe life in Southern California? Probably so. On the other hand, unless you are from Orange County, the name Dana Point conjures ... well, not much. But a recently formed DMO is looking to put Dana Point on the OC's luxury travel map.
Dana Point, the starting position of California's Pacific Coast Highway, is currently known, among outsiders, as that place just south of Laguna Beach. But Dana Pointers think their community, which they consider the surfing capital of California and the whale watching capital of the West, deserves greater accolades.
For now, though, while Orange County neighbors like Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Laguna Niguel revel in the reputation of the California luxe life, Dana Point is largely anonymous.
The area's recently-formed destination marketing organization, Visit Dana Point, is looking to change that. The goal, according to executive director Jonny Westom, is to position Dana Point as a competitor to its OC neighbors, along with other upscale California destinations like Palm Springs, Monterey and Santa Barbara.
In the crowded California luxury marketplace, Dana Point has a chance to exploit its under-the-radar status.
“In markets that are oversaturated,” said Daniella Middleton, vice president of destination marketing consulting firm Development Counsellors International, “people are looking for lesser-known nooks and crannies. Luxury travelers are looking for
