As of Friday, June 12, the leisure travel ban was lifted and Carmel-by-the-Sea is welcoming visitors back to the one-square-mile village. Visit Carmel is following Governor Newsom’s phased approach to re-opening the state as well as guidelines from Monterey County and is now promoting visitation to the quaint seaside village.
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a charming seaside village on California’s Central Coast with a rich artist history, culinary delights, and mild year-round temperatures. Visit Carmel will be hosting individual press trips this summer and fall for journalists to safely visit the destination.
The Carmel Innkeepers Association has developed guidelines for reopening through a plan called the Carmel Innkeepers Clean & Safe Commitment. This commitment is a standard that all innkeepers who sign promise to uphold to keep guests, employees and the community safe. At this time, nearly 100% of the inns have signed the commitment.
Visit Carmel has also revamped its website to include information on what visitors need to know before they arrive: https://www.carmelcalifornia.com/healthy-travel-tips.htm
Also, in a town traditionally known for its attention to maintaining its European-style, City government made the very responsive move to allow restaurants to apply for an encroachment to have outdoor dining on public property (sidewalk or parking spaces). You will see many of the restaurants already set up with their outdoor dining areas.
On June 8, Carmel-by-the-Sea unveiled a new Carmel Shell mural for visitors to stop and take a photo in front of. The mural, originally scheduled for installation in spring 2020, was paused because of COVID-19. Since then, Visit Carmel and the Carmel Public Library partnered to create the “Carmel Shell-ter in Place” campaign using the shell as its symbol. The group disseminated a shell template for community members to decorate, and hang in their windows as a sign of support while “Shell-tering In Place.”
The mural is now on the façade wall of the Paloma Furnishings building on Mission and 6th Ave. The colors are inspired by the original murals within the Carmel Mission Basilica and the pale pink background is a nod to Hofsas House while the Gothic Blackletter calligraphy is an homage to Wayfarer Inn. The shell itself is a symbol of Carmel and honors a sense of place and history, as the patterns within the shell pay tribute to the tile steps by Little Napoli.
Visit Carmel (carmelcalifornia.com) is the official destination marketing organization for the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The mission of Visit Carmel is to promote Carmel-by-the-Sea as a top-rated, world-renowned destination where one-of-a-kind visitor experiences and discoveries are within walking distance of a variety of charming hotels, inns and B&Bs.
For more information on covering Carmel-by-the-Sea, contact Ashley Brune at the Abbi Agency at [email protected]