Ridgecrest tourism bureau reports growth, new events and marketing gains

Carrie Crutcher, executive director of the Ridgecrest Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the City Council the bureau’s annual report showed measurable gains in visitor interest and marketing reach. “2025 was a great year for us, for tourism, for Ridgecrest,” Crutcher said, calling the year “a year of growth.”

Crutcher said the bureau added nine new events that will bring out‑of‑area visitors in 2026, hired a marketing manager to run most promotions in‑house and increased highway signage to a total of nine Ridgecrest billboards. She reported that social‑media posts and promotions garnered about 84,000 interactions across Facebook and Instagram and roughly 2,000,000 views. Crutcher also said hotel stays were up 6.5% year‑over‑year for 2024, attributing part of the gain to recreation activity at China Lake and to support for locally organized events.

Council members praised the bureau’s work. One member said they had noticed the new billboards on Highway 14 and that recent community events, including an artists’ festival and a planned off‑road race, were drawing attention and visitors. Another council member thanked staff for organizing the holiday tree lighting and related community programming.

Crutcher told the council the official annual report was included in the meeting packet and invited questions; none were raised during the meeting. The bureau said it will continue to pursue event partnerships and highway signage as part of its 2026 calendar.

The presentation concluded with council encouragement to sustain and expand tourism efforts; the RECVB will provide its printed annual report and additional event details to the city as they finalize plans.