Research Dashboard

2024 Economic Impact of Travel

Travel Indicators Summary

U.S. economic indicators shifted slightly in June, with inflation rising and consumer sentiment improving. The overall outlook remained positive, supported by moderate job growth and historically low unemployment.
California residents remained somewhat pessimistic about their financial situation compared to historical benchmarks. However, overall travel excitement stayed strong, likely driven by interest in international travel among both Californians and U.S. travelers overall.
After moderate hotel demand growth during the first five months of the year, June saw a slight decline of 0.4%. Still, year-to-date demand is up 2.1%, and revenue has increased 3.8%. Southern California regions drove most of the June decline, with Los Angeles down 2.4%, Orange County down 1.3%, and the Deserts down 3.9%.
While international airlift to California continues to grow, those seats are increasingly less likely to be filled by international visitors. Arrivals to California’s ports of entry from priority markets were down 9% in June, driven by a steep year-over-year decline in Canadian visitation. A bright spot was Japan, which saw 13% growth in June.

Source: Visit California and third-party data sets