Visit California releases draft Regional Strategic Tourism Plans

After two years of development, Visit California has announced the first-phase release of its draft Regional Strategic Tourism Plans, a comprehensive initiative designed to help businesses and communities navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and build long-term resilience.

Developed with oversight from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation program, the initiative is part of a broader strategy to support industries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Global consulting firm JLL, along with a diverse network of project partners, spearheaded the development of the plans using a research-driven approach.

While the grant did not provide funding or staff for implementation, the plans identify available resources at the state and regional levels that organizations can leverage. The plans and resources are designed to help tourism businesses, residents and community stakeholders prepare for the future and ensure that tourism remains a vital component of the California economy.

A Data-Backed Roadmap for Sustainable Tourism

The initiative provides critical insights into tourism trends across California’s 12 tourism regions, offering valuable tools for destination sustainability and economic growth. The research to develop these plans included:

• 768 individual interviews
• 870 survey responses
• 747 points of interest visited
• 701 events evaluated

A key focus of the project was collaboration with local industry leaders. The 234 members of 12 regional advisory committees helped guide the development of each region’s plan in a manner that aligns with the 500-plus destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and municipal plans reviewed by JLL as part of each region’s market research.

To maximize industry participation and feedback, Visit California is rolling out the plans in two phases:

• Phase 1: Drafts of Statewide Opportunities, 12 Regional Strategic Tourism Plans, and the Sustainable & Regenerative Tourism Guidebook are available for review now. Industry partners are invited to submit comments on the drafts to RegionalPlans@VisitCalifornia.com through March 31.
• Phase 2: Drafts of the 12 Regional Resilience & Sustainability Scorecards and the California Tourism Resilience & Sustainability Dashboard will be released May 1, coinciding with California Tourism Month. Industry partners will be invited to submit comments on the Phase 2 drafts through May 31.
  Industry partners are encourages to share and review the plans, and submit comments. Following the public comment period, Visit California will incorporate industry feedback before finalizing the plans in June.

For more information and to access the draft plans, visit TravelMattersCA.com. To submit feedback, email RegionalPlans@VisitCalifornia.com.