November–December 2025
During the November through December reporting period, the Communications team continued to elevate Greater Palm Springs’ visibility across national and international markets through targeted media hosting, international engagement, and strategic partnerships. Efforts during this period reinforced the destination’s leadership in culture, culinary, wellness, meetings, film, and economic development, while strengthening long-lead editorial pipelines heading into 2026.
Working alongside Visit Greater Palm Springs’ domestic and international PR agencies, the team:
- Secured 115 media touchpoints
- Delivered 22 custom pitches
- Hosted 25 media and content creator visits
- Published 93 articles
Media placement during this period included:
- Fodor’s Travel - Top places to go in USA in 2026
- Queerty - Palm Springs doubles down on LGBTQ+ inclusion, and we're loving it
- Daily Herald - Palm Springs a mecca for Modernism: California city draws Midcentury architecture lovers to the desert
- Hello Magazine - See Frank Sinatra's iconic Modernism Palm Springs home where movie stars would flock
- Irish Independent - Desert soul and old Hollywood glamour – my week chasing the mirage of Palm Springs
- Hozpitality - Visit Greater Palm Springs’ “Meet the Mentors” Program Returns, Connecting Aspiring Journalists with Established Travel Writers
- Travel and Tour World - Greater Palm Springs Emerges As California’s Most Inspiring Destination For Renewal In 2026
- The Canberra Times - This Palm Springs hotel blends mid-century cool with unexpected value
- Lonely Planet - Four ways to experience the best of Greater Palm Springs
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November–December Media Hosting
Media engagement during November and December was primarily in-market, with an emphasis on hosting journalists and content creators already traveling through California or aligning with seasonal opportunities and air service storytelling.
In coordination with Visit California, the Communications team hosted United Airlines Japan-based flight attendants and influencers for a two-day visit to Greater Palm Springs, supporting international awareness and air access narratives. Additional in-market hosting included UK and France media familiarization trips, with editorial focus on the evolution of Greater Palm Springs, women-led storytelling, culture, and new experiences across the destination.
New Air Service & Inaugurals: Visit Greater Palm Springs supported key air service growth through targeted inaugural flight activations with major airline partners. In December, United Airlines reintroduced its Newark–Palm Springs nonstop service following a long absence. VGPS hosted invited media and travel trade for a pre-inaugural dinner in Newark, with participants then flying together on the inaugural flight to Palm Springs and participating in a three-day destination familiarization tour designed to drive future coverage and bookings. Separately, VGPS hosted a media dinner in Charlotte in advance of American Airlines launching new Saturday nonstop service from Charlotte to Palm Springs, reinforcing the destination’s commitment to supporting new routes through strategic media engagement and relationship-building in priority markets.
These efforts concluded the year with a diverse international media presence and reinforced long-lead storytelling momentum entering 2026.
2025 Communications Year-End Recap
Throughout 2025, the Communications team advanced Greater Palm Springs’ visibility through relationship-driven earned media and immersive storytelling across national and international markets. Efforts highlighted the destination’s depth and diversity—spanning wellness, culinary, culture, LGBTQ+ travel, meetings, film, and economic development—while intentionally representing all nine cities and the people and experiences that define the region.
The year marked a continued shift toward high-touch media engagement and long-lead storytelling, prioritizing relationship-building and in-destination experiences over volume. Focused global market development and cross-department collaboration strengthened editorial pipelines and reinforced Greater Palm Springs’ positioning as both a lifestyle destination and a place of innovation and inclusion. India was added as a new priority market with active representation, generating early momentum and productive media engagement in one of travel’s fastest-growing regions.
Signature Programs & Media Hosting
Meet the Mentors 3.0
The Communications team delivered the third year of Meet the Mentors as a signature storytelling and professional development initiative. The program continued to support inclusive storytelling by introducing emerging voices to Greater Palm Springs through immersive experiences, with mentee-produced editorial content published on visitgreaterpalmsprings.com.
IGLTA Global Convention Media FAMs
In conjunction with hosting the IGLTA Global Convention, the team executed a large-scale international media hosting program across pre- and post-convention FAMs. The experiences showcased both Palm Springs and the broader nine-city region through themes of wellness, culture, culinary, adventure, and inclusive hospitality.
PR Agency Immersion FAM
A first-of-its-kind PR Agency Immersion FAM was launched to deepen alignment across Visit Greater Palm Springs’ global PR partners. Agency representatives participated in a multi-day, in-destination program engaging tourism partners and community leaders across all nine cities, establishing a stronger foundation for unified storytelling. The immersion will be offered on a biennial basis.
Culinary & Wellness Storytelling
Culinary and wellness served as cornerstone storytelling platforms throughout the year. Culinary engagement included media hosting and outreach tied to the James Beard Dinner, the Michelin Guide, date farm tours during Palm Desert Food & Wine, and coverage highlighting agricultural influence and chef-driven experiences.
Wellness storytelling was strengthened through renewed collaboration with the Wellness Tourism Association and the launch of Greater Palm Springs Spa Month, creating a dedicated media moment during a key shoulder season.
Meetings, Trade & Industry Engagement
The Communications team expanded its role in meetings and trade storytelling through closer alignment with Sales and Destination Experiences. Participation in IMEX, IMM NYC, the IMM Luxury Summit in Las Vegas, and TravMedia Summit supported long-lead editorial planning, meetings-focused media engagement, and thought leadership opportunities.
International Market Development
International outreach remained a priority in 2025. Participation in Visit California’s Pan-European Media Mission across London, Germany, and Paris strengthened editorial pipelines in established markets, while engagement in Visit California’s India Media Mission supported rapid relationship-building and long-term positioning in a newly activated market.
Film & Economic Development Storytelling
Through the Film Oasis program, the Communications team continued positioning Greater Palm Springs as a flexible, film-ready destination. East and West Valley Location Scout FAMs—delivered in collaboration with the Location Managers Guild International and the Riverside County Film Commission—highlighted the region’s geographic range, infrastructure, and production potential.
Parallel efforts supported economic development storytelling through integration of the Greater Palm Springs Economic Development platform and its “Thrive and Shine” messaging.
Team Evolution & Collaboration
The Communications team evolved during the year with Madison Morgan joining midyear as Media Relations Manager, strengthening media hosting and press engagement. Laura Hunt Little’s transition into a Community Engagement role further enhanced partner collaboration and internal alignment, supporting a more integrated approach to destination storytelling.
January 2026 and Beyond
Planning continues for an active start to 2026, with a focus on high-impact media engagement, editorial relationship building, and strategic visibility in priority domestic and international markets.
Key initiatives that happened in January included The Palm Springs International Film Festival media hosting, where we welcomed domestic and international journalists and industry voices to experience Greater Palm Springs through film, culture, and destination storytelling, alongside media hosting tied to The American Express Golf Tournament, leveraging a globally recognized event to support golf, lifestyle, and destination coverage.
Additional upcoming priorities include:
- A New York City media blitz, developed in partnership with Visit California, featuring editorial meetings with People Inc. (formerly Dotdash Meredith), participation in TravMedia Summit, and IMM NYC
- International activations in Australia, including a collaboration with acclaimed cocktail brand Maybe Sammy, featuring three Greater Palm Springs–inspired cocktails and a consumer giveaway offering a lucky winner the opportunity to experience the destination
- Continued international media engagement through Travel EX campaigns and Travel Associates, in coordination with the Tourism Development team
- Hosting the James Beard Dinner in partnership with Palm Desert Food & Wine, reinforcing Greater Palm Springs’ culinary positioning and agricultural influence
- Participation in Visit California’s Mexico Media Mission, expanding engagement in a key international growth market
- Participation in Visit California’s Washington, DC Media Reception. Allowing for continued relationship building with this very important domestic market
- Attendance at the Destinations International Marketing & Communications Summit, supporting industry leadership and best-practice alignment
- Continued production on a culinary-focused collaboration with Vice Munchies, spotlighting Greater Palm Springs through a contemporary editorial lens
Together, these efforts will support sustained earned media momentum and carry strong storytelling pipelines into 2026.
