Hotel occupancy in Eureka hit 62 percent in the first quarter of 2026, the highest Q1 figure since 2019 and a clear signal that the city’s post-pandemic tourism recovery is finally holding, according to data released Monday by the Humboldt County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The number matters because Q1 is historically the weakest quarter for Humboldt tourism. Winter storms, limited daylight, and the seasonal closure of several campgrounds and park facilities keep visitor counts low from January through March. That Eureka managed to beat 2019 numbers during its off-season suggests the region is attracting visitors who are not coming solely for summer redwood trips.

“We’ve been saying for three years that the recovery was coming, and people were right to be skeptical, because the numbers didn’t support it until now,” said CVB executive director Marta Espinoza. “This quarter, they do.”

Total visitor spending in the county during Q1 was $47.3 million, up 14 percent from Q1 2025 and 8 percent above Q1 2019. The figures are based on credit card transaction data aggregated by tourism analytics firm Zartico, which the CVB contracted last year.

Old Town Eureka has been the primary beneficiary. The district’s hotel and vacation rental occupancy averaged 68 percent for the quarter, buoyed by a strong events calendar that included the Redwood Coast Music Festival in February, the annual Crab Feed at the Adorni Center in January, and a series of gallery openings tied to the Arts Alive program.

Three new businesses opened on Second Street in Q1: a craft cocktail bar called Driftwood, a vintage clothing store, and a cannabis lounge operating under the state’s Type 16 license. The lounge, Humboldt Social, opened in February and has drawn attention, and visitors, from outside the county.

“We get people driving up from the Bay specifically to visit us,” said Humboldt Social owner Derek Fong. “A cannabis lounge in Eureka is a different pitch than one in Oakland. People want the experience tied to the place.”

The CVB said the cannabis tourism angle is small but growing. The bureau began including cannabis-friendly activities in its marketing materials in 2025, a decision that drew criticism from some board members but has correlated with increased engagement on the bureau’s social media channels.

Restaurant and bar revenues across Eureka were up 12 percent in Q1 compared to the prior year. The hospitality labor market has tightened as a result. Several restaurant owners on the waterfront said they are competing for workers with the cannabis industry and with housing costs that have pushed entry-level employees out of Eureka proper.

“I need line cooks, and the people who would be line cooks five years ago are trimming or working in processing facilities because it pays better,” said Rosa Dominguez, who owns a seafood restaurant on the Eureka boardwalk. “And the ones who want to cook can’t afford rent in town.”

The housing constraint is the primary risk to sustained tourism growth. Hotel development has stalled because construction costs in Humboldt County are 15 to 20 percent above the state average, driven by transportation costs for materials and a limited contractor pool. The last new hotel to open in Eureka was the Hampton Inn in 2018.

The CVB’s summer forecast is optimistic but cautious. Espinoza said advance bookings for the Memorial Day through Labor Day season are running 9 percent ahead of last year, and two major events, the Kinetic Grand Championship in May and the Humboldt County Fair in August, are both projecting higher attendance.

“The question now is capacity,” Espinoza said. “We have the demand. What we need is more rooms, more restaurants, and more infrastructure to handle the people who want to come here.”

The CVB will present the full Q1 report to the Eureka City Council at its April 15 meeting.