California takes center stage in this year’s National Plan for Vacation Day campaign, set to take place on January 30, 2018. National Plan for Vacation Day is a way to encourage Americans to take their time off — and ideally, to spend that time as a tourist in the Golden State. Individuals who plan are more likely to use all of their time off, take more vacation days at once, and report greater levels of happiness. This campaign is a part of the U.S. Travel Association’s Project: Time Off coalition.
According to Visit California and Project: Time Off, the Golden State is home to some of the most beautiful destinations and attractions in the world, yet the state has some of the worst vacation patterns in America. 61 percent of Californians surrender a total of more than 90 million unused vacation days annually. This stockpile of unused vacation time dampens workers’ productivity, creativity and energy, and for destinations and businesses, tapping into that latent potential has tremendous implications for California’s travel and tourism industry.
The Santa Maria Valley is highlighted in a new web series called California 101, providing travelers the ideas and inspiration they need to plan an amazing vacation. The Santa Maria Valley: 5 Amazing Things video is one of 35 exciting videos allowing visitors to click through to web content for a deeper dive into trip planning. Trip planners can read all about these hot spots in the Santa Maria Valley on VisitCA’s website in addition to seeing the video. As the article describes, “Head to northern Santa Barbara County to enjoy wine tasting, golf and that famous barbecue.”
The Santa Maria Valley blends its ranching traditions with an ever-growing reputation as one of California’s top wine regions. Step back into the past at La Purisima Mission State Historic Park. Play golf among the oaks at the acclaimed La Purisima Golf Course. Shop for treasures at the Deja Vu Antiques Mall. Dig into Santa Maria Valley’s famous barbecued tri-tip at Far Western Tavern and wash it down with a tasting Presqu’ile Winery.
We encourage you to join Visit California and Project: Time Off in promoting National Plan for Vacation Day, and inspire travelers to declare their vacation days and explore beyond the cubicle. Increased vacation days can lead to more happiness. In fact, the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara area was named The 25 Happiness Cities in the United States based on an index done by The National Geographic/Blue Zones® Index.
As part of that planning, there are many reasons to consider the Santa Maria Valley as a perfect stop on your California 101 adventure. It is the ideal home base to the Central California Coast, where you can eat, drink and do more for less, and with a whole lot of #SantaMariaStyle.
