Join the California tourism industry in celebrating California Tourism Month

As the world’s travel industry gathered in Los Angeles for IPW, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California visitor spending soared to an unprecedented $150.4 billion in 2023, surpassing the pre-pandemic 2019 record. The governor celebrated our industry to kick off California Tourism Month, the state’s official observance of tourism’s essential role in the state’s economy.

Our industry’s remarkable recovery was accompanied by the creation of an additional 64,900 jobs in 2023, bringing the total number of California hospitality workers to 1.15 million. Moreover, the tax revenue generated by visitors reached $12.7 billion, funding vital local services for all Californians.

Our Travel Matters website has been updated with the latest numbers to demonstrate travel and tourism's economic impact on the state. The site reaches decision-makers at state and local levels to highlight how travel is critical for California.

And the good news continues. Travel spending exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 34 of the state’s 58 counties. Destinations that aren’t quite at full recovery are only a few percentage points away from reaching 2019 spending levels.

California was the host state for IPW, the largest international travel trade show on U.S. soil. Visit California and 43 partners pulled out all the stops with the California Plaza activation outside the Los Angeles Convention Center. It was an experiential display of the state’s abundant offerings that put The Ultimate Playground front and center for the more than 5,700 trade show attendees. Hosting IPW is expected to generate $5.5 billion in future travel spending. 

As part of California Tourism Month, we encourage residents to travel in-state in May to discover how they can play throughout the state. As partners, you, too, can promote travel to California. With the governor’s announcement today, I encourage you to share the news with your communities: California travel spending is back!

Here's how:

• Adapt the official toolkit to spread the word online and with the media.
• Participate yourself by traveling, shopping, and dining locally. Your tourism dollars play a crucial role in helping businesses. Share your experiences on social media using the #CATourism tag to contribute to promoting California's tourism industry.
• From May 19-25, join U.S. Travel’s National Travel and Tourism Week with an additional #NTTW24 tag.
• Contact your local representatives to let them know how critical the tourism industry is to California’s economy. Cite the above numbers to reinforce how vital tourism spending is, especially when it creates jobs, increases tax revenues and supports local businesses.

Together, as a unified California tourism industry, we will continue to amplify the benefits of travel to the Golden State.