Following the close of FY17/18, Visit California released EVOLVE: FY17/18 Year In Review, its annual report reflecting on evolved marketing accomplishments and record breaking tourism impacts – a collective industry success.

Check out an executive summary of the publication on the Year In Review webpage and download or request additional copies of the publication, which will be arriving in mailboxes this week.

Within each page of the EVOLVE: FY17/18 Year In Review, industry leaders can explore highlights from California tourism's record year and see how Visit California continues to set the pace for global destination marketing.  

This past fiscal year marked the eighth year of growth for California tourism, pushing economic impact numbers to new heights across the industry. In FY17/18, this industry set new records in visitation, travel spending, jobs and tax revenue. Readers will find industry research, evaluations and regional impacts for all areas of tourism included in the publication.

Each fiscal year brings new challenges to overcome. Summer of 2017 brought devastating fires, mudslides and disasters to the beauty of the Golden State. Through these natural disasters, Visit California found evolved its crisis response and supported community recovery through events such as the "Grateful Table," the "Share the Love" spot launch and the Highway 1 closure and re-opening.

United as an industry, Visit California’s global marketing program is operating at a level that allows California to remain a leader on the global stage. The media landscape has changed dramatically, giving rise to new platforms, influencers and technologies. With this evolution of communication and engagement, Visit California has focused efforts on integrated campaigns to target travelers based on demographic audience characteristics and unique experiences travelers seek in California that incorporate paid, owned, earned and trade activations simultaneously. Read about these integrated campaign successes that build upon the foundational “Dream Big” brand platform to generate more than 7.7 billion paid impressions, $263 million earned media value and hours of consumption time across owned channel content.

Visit the Year in Review webpage to catch up on the latest, and download the full publication for reading on-the-go. 

This spring, Visit California partnered with Brand USA to showcase the Golden State as part of National Geographic’s “Where Locals Go” platform. The three vignettes followed travel photographer Ben Horton on one-of-a-kind road trips to Santa Rosa, San Luis Obispo and Sacramento, inspiring travelers to explore beyond California's gateways.

The series aired globally on National Geographic in 14 markets in March 2018, delivering 26.1 million impressions through broadcast and digital activations. The campaign included a monthlong sponsorship of National Geographic’s “Where Locals Go” digital hub to drive additional engagement with the content. 

For his California journey, Horton hit the road to show why the Golden State is home to the the biggest dreamers and doers in the United States.

The National Geographic explorer first took to the State Capitol to discover stand-up paddleboard yoga with local yogi Summer Ward. Following his visit to the weekly Midtown Farmer's Market, Horton made the short trek to Soil Born Farm, just east of the heart of Sacramento.

"The people of Soil Born Farm are a group of visionaries, dreamers and doers," Horton said, "and tonight, we are celebrating just that."

Just a few hours away from the California capitol in Sonoma Valley, Horton experienced the breathtaking views of California's Wine Country from a hot-air balloon. Back on land and within the Santa Rosa city limits, Horton popped over to Fogbelt Brewing Company, home to two entrepreneurs who aim to reintroduce traditional hop growing and craft brewing to the region's world-famous Wine Country.

"It's a lot of labor — a lot of work that goes into these beers that we're making," Paul Hawley of Fogbelt Brewing Company said. "You make yourselves happy and make other people happy. It's worth the work."

Finally, Horton took to the shores of San Luis Obispo, where local surf legend and board craftsman Joe Nichols offered a glimpse into his craft.

"You have in your mind what you wanna make, [and] you're so happy when it comes out the way that you've hoped," Nichols said of the board crafting process. "You make a lot of friends, your whole family can participate, and surfing takes you places and makes you explore the world. It's made a good life for us."

Visit California's ongoing partnership with Brand USA helped to bring this spotlight series to life — just in time to inspire travelers around the world to hit the road for summer travel season.  

Check out the campaign microsite to watch the California vignettes.