The volleyball courts are all taken, the sidewalks and bike paths are under constant assault by Segways and four-wheeled surreys and good luck finding parking near the beach. But what you may not realize is that tourists change our community in ways that benefit the locals.

Those lucky enough to live or grow up in our oceanfront paradise have divided, and often strong, opinions on the annual summer flood of 35,000 tourists a day. Many Santa Barbarians think that the city caters too much to out-of-towners, neglecting those who live here.

While locals are the ones in the city on a day-in, day-out basis, the impact of visitors, who inject nearly $1 billion a year into the community, cannot and should not be ignored. Furthermore, the constant influx of people from different and diverse cultures adds valuable texture to the fabric of our community.

The fact of the matter is that anything done to improve the city, be it targeted to tourists or locals, benefits us all. Many local businesses are offering cut rates on what are often pricey offerings. Those who come to our picturesque seaside town are looking to stretch their dollars wherever possible and locals can take advantage of the opportunities as well.

People who stop into the tourist information center are increasingly asking about coupons or other discounts.

“Everyone’s looking for deals,” says Annmarie Rogers, director of the Santa Barbara Visitor Center.

Even though the number of people coming through Santa Barbara Airport is down 14 percent from last year, according to Chamber of Commerce president Stephen Cushman, it is not particularly noticeable. Carmen Libeu, a 21-year-old Biology major at City College, said it, “definitely didn’t appear that way,” referring to her trips to Las Vegas, Chicago and New York over the summer.

Tristan Fitzpatrick, a City College instructional assistant, said he is, “angered about East Beach parking and people who reserve the courts too long,” referring to the popular beach volleyball area.

While it is true that it can be challenging to get to play on one of the wonderful free courts, those of us who are able to use them on a regular basis get the additional entertainment of watching people unfamiliar with sand courts struggle to run and jump.

One of the most common desires of visiting globetrotters is to eat Mexican food. That desire allows more restaurant offerings than otherwise expected, which we can all take advantage of. Luckily for us who call Santa Barbara home, many of the best restaurants are small, off the beaten path and often free of visiting hordes.

Though the mobs of sightseers can be challenging to negotiate at times, they are a small price to pay for the privilege of residing in our palm-laced slice of paradise. Everybody wants to vacation in a nice place, a place they would like to live.

As Cushman rhetorically asked, “Is there anywhere else in the world that would be better to live than Santa Barbara?”