Visit Ukiah reports flat county tourism but 89% jump in social media views

UKIAH, CA., 9/4/2026 — Mendocino County’s visitor economy has remained flat in recent years, while Visit Ukiah’s Facebook and Instagram views rose 89% over the past year, the Greater Ukiah Business and Tourism Alliance told the City Council on Wednesday.

Katrina Kessen, the alliance’s executive director, presented the group’s annual report. The alliance, known locally as GUBTA, was formed through the merger of the Greater Ukiah Chamber of Commerce, the Ukiah Main Street Program and Visit Ukiah, according to a city staff report. It operates the visitor center at 200 S. School St., which is designated as a California Welcome Center, and administers the Ukiah Foundation for Commerce and Education.

Deputy City Manager Shannon Riley outlined the city’s financial relationship with the alliance. The city pays chamber membership dues and collects business improvement district fees from downtown businesses through the business license process. It passes those fees to the Main Street program, though the revenue “doesn’t come close to funding the total activities,” Riley said.

The city also collects transient occupancy tax from hotels within city limits. A portion supports the Grace Hudson Museum and Visit Ukiah under a performance agreement with the alliance. Riley described the city’s contribution as a small share of the alliance’s overall funding.

An appointed councilmember and a city staff liaison serve on the alliance’s executive board. The city and alliance also co-produce Ukiah on Ice, Sundays in the Park and the Ukiah Country Pumpkinfest, the staff report said.

Growing tourism needs energy and intention

Kessen focused much of her presentation on Visit Ukiah, the alliance’s visitor-facing program. She cited figures from Visit California and Dean Runyan Associates, which produces the state’s annual travel-impact report.

California visitors spent $158.9 billion in 2025, supporting about 1.2 million jobs, according to Visit California. The four-county North Coast region — Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties — generated about $1.5 billion in visitor spending and supported more than 13,000 jobs, Kessen said.

Mendocino County’s visitor economy “has been relatively flat over the past several years,” Kessen said. “We cannot assume that growth will happen on its own.”

The presentation estimated that the San Francisco Bay Area generated more than 144,000 trips to Ukiah, followed by Sacramento with nearly 49,000 and Eureka with more than 23,000. The average stay was 2.9 days, and weekends accounted for the largest share of visits.

Social media was Visit Ukiah’s strongest area of growth, Kessen said. Its Facebook and Instagram accounts recorded 7.6 million views during the year, up 89% from about 4 million the previous year. Facebook accounted for 4.2 million views and Instagram for 3.4 million. Most were organic rather than paid, she said.

The Ukiah Welcome Center marked its third anniversary this year. Kessen said visits from residents and travelers have increased each year and that the center has welcomed people from Europe, Canada and South America.

In a phone interview Thursday, Kessen said the center averages about 3,000 visitors a month.

“Anecdotally, we average about 3,000-ish a month throughout the year,” she said.

A traffic counter at the front door produces the figure, which the alliance reports to Visit California, Kessen said. Visit California asks the center to count everyone who walks in, whether they came for travel information or for other businesses in the building, she said.

“What Visit California wants to know is how many sets of eyeballs are seeing the materials and able to engage with our guest service ambassadors,” Kessen said.

She said the count is approximate. Sometimes, she said, “the traffic counter gets knocked off the wall.”

“I’m always very transparent that these are average numbers,” Kessen said.

Ukiah gets full-page treatment

Visit California’s official travel guide featured Ukiah in a full-page advertisement. Travel creators also produced content about the Welcome Center, the Grace Hudson Museum and regional road trips, Kessen said.

She cited a WorldAtlas article that included Ukiah on its list of 12 top U.S. places to live in 2026.

“While this is not a Visit Ukiah award,” Kessen said, “it does reflect the qualities we work to share every day.”

Kessen, who has led the organization for six years, listed several accomplishments during her tenure: the Visit Ukiah rebrand, new gateway and highway signs, the opening of the Welcome Center, and development of a retail program. The alliance has also begun destination-management work at Lake Mendocino with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, she said.

“We’re really a small little engine, but we work really hard,” Kessen said in a call with the Voice Thursday.

During questions, councilmember Mari Rodin asked about the alliance’s work with Main Street America, formerly the National Main Street Center.Kessen said she serves on the California Main Street board. A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant distributed through the state and national programs paid for a year of individual coaching for four Ukiah small businesses, she said. A national online hub connecting member businesses is scheduled to open this month, she said.

Rodin suggested organizing a downtown event around the Grasshopper Adventure Series bicycle rides, which she said are expected to return to Ukiah twice in 2027, and closing School Street for a band.

Kessen said the alliance had tried adding booths to the race one year, but the effort “didn’t work out that well” because organizers “are really all about the bike ride.” She did not rule out a future event.

Another councilmember asked where international visitors go after arriving in Ukiah.

“They want to see the trees. They want to see the ocean. They want to learn some of our local history,” Kessen said. She said the Welcome Center directs visitors to Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve and other nearby outdoor destinations.

No members of the public spoke on the item, which was informational only.