Coronado, Not San Diego (San Diego Reader)
On May 17, a male caller to Chip Franklin’s morning show on AM 600 claimed that the Hotel del Coronado was losing reservations from Arizona residents unhappy with the City of San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District’s boycott of Arizona due to their new immigration law.
I spoke with a Hotel Del reservation agent named Jessica, and she confirmed that they have had some cancellations from Arizona because of the boycott, but agents point out that the hotel is in the City of Coronado, not San Diego. She said reservations agents at the Del were surprised at San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders’s pronouncement against Arizona. Full story from the San Diego Reader
Some in Arizona canceling trips to S.D. (Union Tribune)
San Diego tourism leaders and hoteliers fear they could lose a sizable chunk of business this summer from valued “Zonies” who are so angered by elected leaders’ recent censure of Arizona for its illegal-immigration law that they’re mounting an informal boycott of their own.
The San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau and several hotels report receiving e-mails and letters from Arizona visitors saying they intend to change their plans to travel here in light of local outcry over their home state’s anti-illegal-immigration stance.
Tourism officials are striking back. In an open letter, they urge Arizona residents to overlook local politics and come to San Diego just as they always have for its mild climate, beaches and attractions. The visitors bureau, in conjunction with the San Diego County Hotel-Motel Association, plans to circulate the letter to media outlets and in advertising this weekend in The Arizona Republic.
The bureau says it has received about 25 to 30 e-mails from Arizona residents reacting to resolutions passed last month by the San Diego City Council and school board, which were little more than symbolic protests aimed at the neighboring state’s lawmakers. Full story from the Union Tribune
San Diego Faces Own Medicine as Arizona Residents Cancel Travel Following Boycott of State (FoxNews)
Arizona tourists are biting back against San Diego for its city council’s decision to boycott the Grand Canyon State over its immigration law signed by Gov. Jan Brewer last month. Full story from FoxNews.com
