City delays tourism funding as residents voice concerns about overcrowding
By Jazmon DeJarnette
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CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, California (KSBW) — Carmel residents are voicing concerns about overcrowding and congestion caused by tourism, leading the city council to delay a $292,000 funding request for future marketing efforts.
“I was born and raised here, and we’ve always had tourism, and we celebrate it. But now it just feels like it’s gotten way out of hand,” said Kim McEuen, a resident.
The frustration culminated at city hall, where leaders passed a new budget that temporarily halts regular tourism funding for See Monterey, the marketing group responsible for promoting the area.
“They’re angry about it, frankly. They feel like there’s too much tourism, there’s over-tourism, so they see this kind of incongruity between that and the funding for See Monterey,” said Hans Buder, councilmember for the city of Carmel.
Instead of cutting ties completely, the city council plans to work with See Monterey to address the concerns before making a final decision.
In a statement to Action News 8, See Monterey said in part, “We appreciate the opportunity to continue discussions with the city and community partners ahead of the council’s July meeting and look forward to identifying the best path forward for Carmel and its tourism economy.”
While city leaders deliberate, residents say everyday life has become increasingly difficult.
“If you’re going to even go pick something up from Tommy’s Wok, it’s so hard to find a place to park,” “Just getting around and maneuvering around people is sometimes trying,” said Caitlin Kenagy, another resident.
Downtown businesses, however, view the influx of visitors as vital to their survival.
“We need always to be marketing, and to lose that would be huge. I think we always have to at least be consistent with the times. And yeah, you have to consistently market. There’s no reducing funding,” said Daniel Spilfogel, general manager at Flaherty’s.
Complaints about traffic and congestion are not new, according to the general manager.
“I’ve been here almost 30 years, and I’ve never stopped hearing that, so that’s always going to be a problem,” he said.
Many visitors are discovering Carmel through social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
“We just heard about it on Instagram and TikTok. So that’s mainly why we came,” said Amina Mbaye, a tourist.
Some residents believe the free promotion from social media is sufficient and worry that additional advertising could worsen the issue.
“Instagram and all of that have already taken over. So I think to add on top of that, and you’re already seeing the issue down the coast with Bixby Bridge. So I think to advertise it even more would bring probably more tourism,” Kenagy said.
The city council is scheduled to revisit the discussion on July 7.
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