What Visit Huntington Beach does

Visit Huntington Beach is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Huntington Beach, California, operating under the federally registered "Surf City USA®" brand. The organization promotes the city as a premier Southern California coastal destination, serving leisure visitors, meeting and convention planners, travel trade professionals, media, and local tourism partners. Its core offering is the official destination marketing website (surfcityusa.com), which provides visitor information, event listings, dining and accommodation guides, accessibility resources, and trip-planning tools, supplemented by a physical VHB Visitor Center at 155 Fifth Street in downtown Huntington Beach, an active Instagram presence (@surfcityusa) running the #BeHere campaign, an e-newsletter, and the original YouTube series "Surf City USA Uncovered." A Shopify-based online store sells branded merchandise, creating an additional direct-to-consumer revenue line.

The organization's product surface is anchored by a portfolio of signature events, including the US Open of Surfing (hosted annually since 1959 and the world's largest surf competition), the 4th of July Independence Day celebration drawing 500,000+ attendees (the largest west of the Mississippi), the Pacific Airshow, the Jack's Surfboards Pro (WSL Qualifying Series QS 4,000), the ISA World Para Surfing Championship, the Kowabunga VW Bus Car Show, and the Surf City Marathon. The underlying technology stack is a standard destination content management and marketing platform with event calendars, blog publishing, and accommodation/booking integrations; no proprietary AI/ML, API, or mobile application is disclosed.

Visit Huntington Beach's business model is that of a quasi-governmental or non-profit DMO: it does not sell travel directly to consumers but drives destination awareness and conversion through content marketing, event production, public relations, and partnerships, with funding derived from hotel occupancy taxes, Tourism Improvement District assessments, partnership and membership fees from local tourism stakeholders (hotels, restaurants, attractions, surf industry), and event-related revenue. The organization maintains core strategic partnerships with the World Surf League and the International Surfing Association (having hosted 9 major ISA events since 1984), and GTM/marketing partnerships with four major oceanfront resorts (Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, The Waterfront Beach Resort/Hilton, Paséa Hotel & Spa, Kimpton Shorebreak) and state-level bodies including Visit California and the California Travel Association. Leadership transitioned in late 2025 from retiring CEO Kelly Miller (12-year tenure) to new President and CEO John Urdi.

Name

Visit Huntington Beach

Legal name

Visit Huntington Beach

Website

https://surfcityusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Visit Huntington Beach is the official destination marketing organization for Huntington Beach, California, promoting tourism under the "Surf City USA®" brand. It operates the surfcityusa.com website, a visitor center, signature events including the US Open of Surfing, and partnerships with local resorts and the World Surf League.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

akta.pro primary industry

Inbound DMCs (Full-Service Ground Handling) (THAKAEAA)

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Tourism promotion
• Event management
• Visitor information
• Travel planning resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntington Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tourism Marketing Services: As a destination marketing organization (DMO), Visit Huntington Beach generates value by promoting tourism to Huntington Beach, which generates hotel occupancy taxes, visitor spending, and membership fees from local tourism stakeholders.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Visit Huntington Beach is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Huntington Beach, California, operating under the "Surf City USA" brand. It promotes the city as a premier Southern California coastal destination through the surfcityusa.com visitor information website, a content blog, a physical visitor center, signature events (US Open of Surfing, Independence Day celebrations, Jack's Surfboards Pro, ISA World Para Surfing Championship, Kowabunga VW Bus Car Show), a branded merchandise online store, and marketing partnerships with local hotels, restaurants, attractions, and surf industry stakeholders.

Product overview

Visit Huntington Beach operates the official tourism marketing platform for Huntington Beach, California, branded as Surf City USA. The organization provides a comprehensive digital destination marketing platform consisting of the main visitor information website featuring beaches, events, dining, accommodations and activities; dedicated event pages for major competitions including the US Open of Surfing, Jack's Surfboards Pro, and the ISA World Para Surfing Championship; a content blog with travel guides and local news; and an online merchandise store. The platform serves to promote Huntington Beach as a premier Southern California beach destination attracting visitors for surf culture, outdoor activities, and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visit Huntington Beach Official Website (surfcityusa.com) The official tourism marketing website for Huntington Beach, California, providing comprehensive visitor information, event listings, dining and accommodation guides, blog content, and travel planning resources for Surf City USA, targeting individual leisure travelers, families, and travel trade professionals.
• Surf City USA Online Store An online retail store selling Huntington Beach and Surf City USA branded merchandise and promotional items, operated via Shopify, available to visitors and the general public.
• VHB Visitor Center Physical visitor information center at 155 Fifth Street, Suite 111 in downtown Huntington Beach near the iconic pier, offering in-person tourism information, maps, guides, and merchandise to walk-in visitors.
• US Open of Surfing The world's largest surf competition, hosted annually in Huntington Beach since 1959, presented as a stop on the WSL Longboard Tour and WSL Challenger Series, featuring men's and women's divisions, live music, and action sports brand activations; free to attend.
• Independence Day (4th of July) Celebrations Annual multi-day 4th of July celebration (July 3-5) in Huntington Beach, the largest Independence Day event west of the Mississippi, attracting 500,000+ attendees with fireworks, parade, pier activities, and a 5K; certain activities (5K, fireworks seating) carry registration/ticket fees.
• Jack's Surfboards Pro Annual WSL Qualifying Series QS 4,000 surf competition held in Huntington Beach, featuring men's and women's divisions and over 55 surf lifestyle vendors across a 4-day event; free to attend.
• ISA World Para Surfing Championship International Surfing Association World Para Surfing Championship presented by Visit Huntington Beach, featuring over 180 athletes from 27 national teams competing across 9 Para Surfing Sport Classes.
• Kowabunga VW Bus Car Show Annual vintage Volkswagen Bus car show on the Huntington Beach Pier featuring over 100 classic VW buses, celebrating surf culture and vintage vehicles; free to attend.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ attendees for 4th of July celebration (largest west of the Mississippi)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Surfing Association (ISA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2024Visit Huntington Beach presents the ISA World Para Surfing Championship, hosting the world's best para surfers in Huntington Beach. The partnership positions Huntington Beach as a premier international surfing competition venue, having hosted 9 major ISA events including World Surfing Games in 1984, 1996, 2006, 2022, ISA World Juniors in 2005, 2018, 2019, and World Para Surfing Championship in 2023 and 2024.
• World Surf League (WSL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuntington Beach hosts WSL competitions including the US Open of Surfing (world's largest surf competition, hosted since 1959) as second stop of WSL Longboard Tour and fourth stop on WSL Challenger Series. Also hosts Jack's Surfboards Pro as a Qualifying Series QS 4,000 event.
• Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & SpacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor oceanfront resort partner offering full-service amenities, spa, and multiple dining options. Located directly across Pacific Coast Highway from major event venues.
• The Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton HotelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOceanfront resort partner with multiple restaurants including Cabo Wabo Beach Club and Henry's Coastal Cuisine, Drift spa, and event venues.
• Paséa Hotel & SpacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerModern oceanfront hotel partner featuring Aarna Spa (named among Spas of America's Top 100 Spas for 3 consecutive years) and Lōrea restaurant.
• Kimpton Shorebreak ResortcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBoutique surf-style beachfront hotel partner featuring Pacific Hideaway restaurant and close proximity to downtown Huntington Beach attractions.
• Paséa Hotel & SpaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpa partner for Surf City USA Wellness Month initiative featuring spa treatments and wellness activities.
• Kimpton ShorebreakminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWellness Month partner hosting free yoga Sundays as part of the inaugural Wellness Month celebration.
• California Travel AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association member supporting California tourism advocacy and promotion.
• Visit CaliforniaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerState tourism organization partnership for California destination marketing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Visit Orlando: A leading U.S. destination marketing organization with a comparable event-driven, multi-segment tourism model — useful as a benchmark for DMO scale and partnership structure even though it operates in a different geography and category.
• Visit California: State-level California tourism marketing organization — operates at a much larger scale across the entire state and is a listed partner of VHB, providing umbrella destination marketing that complements VHB's local efforts.
• Brand USA: The national destination marketing organization for the United States — a broader incumbent that influences inbound travel demand to U.S. coastal destinations including Huntington Beach.

Direct peers

• Visit Anaheim: DMO for Anaheim in Orange County; a structurally comparable California destination marketing organization, though anchored to theme-park tourism rather than beach/surf.
• Visit San Diego: Regional DMO promoting San Diego's coastal tourism; a larger but structurally comparable California beach destination organization with overlapping surf, beach, and event marketing functions.
• Visit Oceanside: DMO for Oceanside in San Diego County — a smaller Southern California coastal destination marketing organization with overlapping surf, beach, and event tourism positioning.
• Visit Newport Beach: DMO for adjacent Newport Beach in Orange County; operates as a directly comparable coastal California destination marketing organization with similar lodging, dining, and beach tourism focus.
• Visit Laguna Beach: Destination marketing organization for Laguna Beach, California — a comparable Southern California coastal DMO of similar size and structure, promoting beach, art, and lifestyle tourism with an events-driven model.
• Visit Long Beach: Destination marketing organization for Long Beach, California — adjacent Southern California coastal DMO with similar tourism-marketing structure and event-hosting profile.
• Visit Santa Monica: DMO for Santa Monica, California — a comparable Southern California beach destination marketing organization promoting a coastal lifestyle and event-based tourism product.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/surfcityusa
• Xx.com/HBSurfCityUSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/VisitHuntingtonBeach

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Visit Huntington Beach