From the surf and the sand, the shopping and sunsets, the pier and restaurants — Surf City was a place Kelly Miller hoped to share with travelers from around the world.
Miller retired last week as CEO and president of Visit Huntington Beach, the destination marketing group for the beach town.
When he arrived in Huntington Beach 12 years ago, many people thought the town was just part of Los Angeles County, Miller said.
“I’m very proud of the global awareness that we’ve built,” he said. “People not only now know we’re not part of LA County, but they know that we’re in Orange County. But equally important, they know that we have a quarter of the beaches in Orange County.
“We’re a very distinct brand,” Miller added, “and they understand that.”
One of the big goals was to bring visitors in not just during the busy summer months, but all year round, by adding events such as the Pacific Airshow and beach concerts during slower months.
“You want to be busy in January, and you want to be busy in December and every month in between,” Miller said. “It keeps the labor force employed in a traditionally high season destination like summertime in Huntington Beach, so we’re not laying off servers when it comes to Labor Day.”
That goes for smaller travel messaging too – encouraging people to come in spring when the flowers bloom, seeing fall sunsets, to explore bike trails and new restaurants, he said.
During his tenure, the tourism bureau worked hand in hand with key hotel partners, he said, to post record-breaking performance metrics across key tourism indicators. Huntington Beach hotels saw a record high of 90.1% occupancy rate in July 2018 and a record of $402.83 in average daily rate in July 2022.
Group hotel bookings also soared to new heights, from about 10,000 room nights a year, to more than 85,000 annually.
“I can confidently say that Kelly’s visionary leadership has left a lasting impact on this organization and on Huntington Beach as a global destination,” Justin Simpson, Visit Huntington Beach board chair for the past eight years and general manager of Kimpton Shorebreak Huntington Beach Resort, said in a statement.
“His ability to balance forward-thinking strategy with a strong focus on results is a rare gift — one that has shaped VHB’s success over the past 12 years,” Simpson said. “While we will deeply miss his presence, we fully support Kelly’s decision to retire and are grateful for the legacy he leaves behind.”
In 2014, Miller and Visit Huntington Beach launched a community-wide collaboration for the town’s 100 years of surfing history at the iconic Huntington Beach Pier, where surfing pioneer George Freeth first introduced the sport to the area in 1914.
The centennial celebration showcased Huntington Beach’s rich surf heritage, including the achievement of two official Guinness World Records: one for the “largest surfboard” and another for the “most people riding a surfboard at once.”
Miller was among the 66 surfers to ride the custom-built, 42-foot-long board — coverage of the event splashed around the globe.
The board was then hung outside of the International Huntington Beach Surfing Museum as a draw for visitors to marvel at the creation.
“That was certainly a milestone for us,” Miller said.
He’s also proud, he said, of the five International Surfing Association events held in Surf City in recent years, everything from juniors to para surfing championships as the town lobbied for the Olympic surfing competition to be held at the pier.
Had Huntington Beach gotten the nod for the LA28 Olympics, Miller said he would have stayed on longer, but instead Olympic organizers selected Lower Trestles just south of San Clemente.
“I think LA28 missed an opportunity,” Miller said. “I think they missed the opportunity for several reasons. We would have had three to four times the spectators. They would have sold more tickets. It would have been more accessible for people of all ages, all mobility. It would have been more sustainable, because that is a big deal for LA28 – we’re closer to LA.”
Huntington Beach would have allowed a full activation so the world to experience surf culture, he said.
“If you think about what the Olympic sponsors could have done on our beaches, to really elevate what surf culture means,” said Miller, 68. “I think it would have brought thousands of more enthusiasts to the surf world, and surfing in general.”
Though a new CEO and president has not been named, Miller shared this advice:
Learn about, and respect, the locals who are the roots of Surf City.
“Take the time to understand the rich, deep culture and DNA of Huntington Beach in Orange County. It takes a while,” he said. “We’re a surf town, and you don’t just jump in the line up – you have to earn your way, so to speak, and take your own wave.”