Visit Greater Palm Springs tells Desert Hot Springs council tourism returned to pre‑pandemic levels, outlines 10‑year stewardship plan

Colleen Pace, chief sales and marketing officer for Visit Greater Palm Springs, told the Desert Hot Springs City Council on March 30 that the destination saw 14.5 million visitors in 2024 and an estimated $9.1 billion in economic impact, putting the region back above pre‑pandemic levels. "We're back to exceeding pre pandemic numbers," Pace said, while showing data the organization compiled for the region.

The presentation highlighted metrics for Desert Hot Springs specifically: Visit Greater Palm Springs estimated a $165 million total economic impact for the city in 2024, including about $129 million in visitor spending (roughly $350,000 per day), and an estimated local and state tax savings valued at about $1,500 per household. Pace said Visit Greater Palm Springs is compiling 2025 numbers and will publish them in May or June.

Pace and a second presenter, identified in the presentation as Davis, described a new destination stewardship plan led by Hunden Partners. The plan is intended as a 10‑year master plan with city‑specific appendices; Pace said the work will include stakeholder engagement and take roughly 14 months to complete. "We just had them at our board meeting on Friday... we'll keep you posted as our timeline progresses," she said.

Presenters also reviewed marketing and air service work: new or returning seasonal flights this season included service from Washington, D.C., Austin, Charlotte and Newark, and co‑op advertising opportunities were available to Desert Hot Springs partners. Davis described short‑term rental impacts valley‑wide (about 20% of overnight visitors) and estimated 2024 short‑term rental visitor spending in Desert Hot Springs at roughly $29.4 million.

Council members praised the regional approach. The council received the presentation during the allotted time and thanked the Visit Greater Palm Springs representatives for the update.

The organization is expected to share additional research results later in the month, including resident sentiment and visitor intercept studies; the stewardship plan will be developed in coordination with city stakeholders and return to the council through staff as milestones are reached.