SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Mission Beach welcomed crowds of visitors this Labor Day weekend, providing a much-needed boost to local businesses that have struggled with slow tourism throughout the summer months.
The popular San Diego destination drew both out-of-town visitors and locals maintaining family traditions. Martha Marin, a Moreno Valley resident, expressed her love for the area.
"We love everything about San Diego. It's really nice. We can try to come here at least once every summer," Marin said.
For San Diego resident Mary Eden, the weekend held special significance as she continued a longtime family tradition.
"It's my son's birthday; for the last 19 years we've been coming to the beach every Labor Day weekend for his birthday," Eden said.
Local businesses welcomed the increased foot traffic after a challenging summer season. Skyler McManus, manager of Hamel's surf shop, noticed the uptick immediately when he opened at 10 a.m.
"The minute that I started walking towards my door, people were kind of coming over to get rentals, get boogie boards, get surfboards," McManus said.
McManus reported that business this summer has been slow, but the warm holiday weekend brought a quick turnaround. He said they're on track to beat last year's Labor Day sales.
"Now we're getting the influx of people from just about everywhere, all of our surrounding states," McManus said.
The Bikini Shop next door experienced a similar trend. Sales associate Ava Strouth noted the contrast with pre-pandemic business levels.
"It was always super, super busy. And I've definitely seen that decline in the past years," Strouth said.
However, Strouth observed encouraging signs of recovery during the holiday weekend.
"I was working and it was packed outside. Like there were tons of people. It was honestly one of the most crowded days I've seen since I work here, which was pretty exciting," Strouth said.
Both Hamel's and the Bikini Shop represent just a small portion of Mission Beach businesses that depend on tourism. Local merchants hope to maintain this momentum well beyond the holiday weekend.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
