Biz Buzz: Room revenue holding its own

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• Tourism holds strong in SLO County

  Tourism holds strong in SLO County

  Tourism, one of the county’s top economic drivers, fared well this past summer — a sign that it’s helping to lead the local economic recovery, experts said.

  Several cities — including San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Paso Robles, Arroyo Grande and Morro Bay — reported year-over-year increases in transient occupancy tax revenues (bed taxes), which were welcome news to hoteliers.

  “Tourism is doing well and consumer spending overall has been coming back, and I don’t think San Luis Obispo County has been any exception,” said Jordan G. Levine, an economist and director of economic research for Beacon Economics, a Southern California-based forecasting firm that presents the county’s annual economic forecast.

• Tour of California will bypass the Central Coast in 2012

  Tour of California will bypass the Central Coast in 2012

  The Amgen Tour of California cycling race will skip the Central Coast in 2012, bypassing former host cities Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo.

  But that doesn’t mean race owner AEG didn’t approach those cities.

  Officials from both cities received bid packages in the summer inviting them to join the seventh annual race. But the amount of fundraising involved — about $140,000 — led San Luis Obispo County’s two largest cities to wait another year.

• Savor a second time: Food-and-wine extravaganza returns to Central Coast

  Savor a second time: Food-and-wine extravaganza returns to Central Coast

  As San Luis Obispo County’s $1 billion tourism industry remains one of the main drivers of the local economy, organizers of Sunset Savor the Central Coast say the second annual four-day food-and-wine event is the most recent — and high-profile — attempt to increase awareness of the region.

  The event, which organizers say generated $1.7 million in tourist spending to the local economy in 2010, kicks off Thursday.

  “Visitors may choose to come to Savor, but the reality is they are probably spending dollars outside of Savor, too,” county Visitors & Conference Bureau executive

• More restaurants moving in: Are eateries taking over downtown?

  More restaurants moving in: Are eateries taking over downtown?

  A recent trend shows that more restaurants than retailers have been opening in downtown San Luis Obispo.

  According to the city’s business license database, 18 restaurants have opened in the downtown in the past two years. There were six in 2010 and 12 so far this year. Three others have either moved into larger locations or are expanding their current spaces.

  That compares to the 14 retail stores that have opened in the downtown area during the same period: eight in 2010 and six this year.

• Options scraps magazine in favor of other fundraisers

  Options scraps magazine in favor of other fundraisers

  Local nonprofit organization Options Family of Services has ceased publishing the Central Coast franchise of TravelHost, a glossy travel publication distributed to San Luis Obispo County visitors through local hotels.

  That means the Central Coast edition of the magazine — which as of 2009 was placed in more than 5,500 rooms in 80 local hotels and was supported by more than 150 advertisers — is now defunct.

  The magazine, which is featured in cities across the country, started its local franchise in 2003. The rising cost of print had pushed previous publisher Ferris Ferdon to shut down operations in mid-2009.