Last year marked a turning point for Sonoma County's visitor industry.
After a two-year slump, tourism began to grow again.
With summer just around the corner, the hospitality sector is hoping to build on last year's comeback.
Sonoma County hotel occupancy is up almost 11 percent from 2010, according to Smith Travel Research, which tracks the industry.
But room rates have yet to fully recover - they're up less than 1 percent from a year ago.
"We're headed in the right direction, but it's a fight," said Ken Fischang, who heads the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau.
The county draws more than 7 million visitors a year, who spend more than $1.2 billion at hotels, inns, wineries, restaurants, golf courses, spas and other attractions.
In April, the leisure and hospitality sector employed more than 20,000 workers, about 2 percent more than last year.
But tourism has regained only about half the jobs it lost since employment peaked in mid-2008, said Eduardo Martinez, a senior economist at Moody's Economy.com, who follows county job trends.
"Hospitality businesses are being careful as they add workers," he said.
Still, there are signs the turnaround is taking hold. At the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park, bookings are stronger heading into the summer travel season, said general manager Joseph Violi.
"I don't want to say it's going gangbusters, but business is growing," he said.
The Doubletree is spending $2 million to upgrade its lobby, rooms and elevators. The 245-room property also is getting a new brand, "Doubletree by Hilton," showcasing its connection to the world's largest hospitality group.
Doubletree's occupancy is up 5 percent from last year, while rates increased about 4 percent, Violi said.
Visits to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa grew almost 10 percent in the past year, said director Karen Johnson. Some 68,000 guests visited the home of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and their friends, the most since 2004.
This summer is looking better than 2010, Johnson said.
"We're ahead of last year in bookings," she said.
Meetings and conferences are growing faster than leisure travel, said Keo Hornbostel, general manager at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel in Santa Rosa.
"I think it's going to be a very strong summer, going into fall," he said.
Events are also driving business at the Sheraton Sonoma County hotel in Petaluma, which has expanded its meeting space by 5,000 square feet.
"We started to see improvement late in 2010," said Tom Birdsall, a partner in the business.
Still, there are challenges ahead. The visitor industry is worried about high gas prices, rising commodity costs and this year's persistent wet weather.
Even with an improving economy, consumers expect deals, Birdsall said.
U.S. travel spending dropped sharply in late 2008 after Wall Street's historic meltdown. In Sonoma County, hotel occupancy fell almost 12 percent in 2009 as families and businesses slashed their travel budgets.
Hotels struggled to fill rooms even after cutting their rates. A handful of local hotels and inns were forced into bankruptcy or foreclosure during the downturn.
Last year's turnaround showed consumer confidence is back, Fischang said.
"There's pent-up demand," he said. "The economy is rebounding and people want to get out."
Sonoma County is a growing destination for international visitors, who stay longer and spend more than domestic travelers, Fischang said.
The county had a large presence at last month's International Pow Wow in San Francisco, a tourism show that attracted more than 1,500 travel brokers, tour operators, travel agents and writers from 70 countries.
Hotels and attractions including the Schulz Museum, Safari West and Francis Ford Coppola Winery had exhibits at the show. Sonoma County wines were served at convention events and attendees took bus tours of the county.
Sonoma County is already seeing more business as a result of the event, said Mark Crabb, sales director for the tourism bureau.
"More buyers are choosing Sonoma County for their travel customers, and that means customers for Sonoma County businesses," he said.
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