AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am bring much needed tourism

After Rick Waddell competes in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he and his wife Kate will have some fun in Carmel.

“Poke around,” said Waddell. “The shops and the food here and the wine are outstanding.”

The Chicago natives are just a few of many people from the golf tournament helping to turn around the slow tourism season in Carmel.

”We are sold out for the rest of the week,” said Sergio Javier, Manager of Adobe Inn. “It’s great, it’s been very good, we have a lot guests.”

Restaurants and wineries are also seeing an uptick.

Carmel has really become a place where they can eat, they can drink before or after the golf,” said Maegan Kohn, Dawn’s Dream Winery General Manager. “So it’s a fun thing that we’re reaching into new people, new items.”

In some cases the rain is actually helping to bring in more customers.

“We had a full tasting room because it was pouring outside, it’s cold,” said Kohn. “But you do have the die-hard fans that want to stay on the golf course. A lot of people came yesterday and they said they’re going to wait until later in the week when hopefully it’s sunny.”

Some businesses believe tourism this time around will be even bigger because last year the Pro-Am , Valentines and Presidents Day fell on the same week. This year, the holidays are spread out and provide long weekends.

“For the Presidents weekend we are sold out too,” said Javier. “So we’re doing good.”