Research Dashboard

Travel Indicators Summary

U.S. economic indicators remained generally positive in March with the exception of consumer sentiment. Sentiment dropped sharply for a third month in a row, falling 12% from February, as consumers’ inflation expectations increased.
Despite negative consumer sentiment about the overall economy, travel sentiment remained positive in March—indicating that consumers still plan to prioritize leisure travel in their budgets. However, sentiment among California residents, while positive, remained down from levels reached in recent post-pandemic years.
Lodging demand in California remained positive in March despite Easter timing and earlier weather impacts. Hotel lodging results in the first quarter were strong, with demand up 3% and revenue up 5%. Group demand saw particularly robust double-digit growth for the month.
Non-resident arrivals from priority markets through California’s ports of entry declined by nearly 12% relative to March 2024, with Canada and Mexico driving a large share of the losses. Visitor growth from China, India, Japan, Italy, and the Middle East, along with increased nonstop airlift, were bright spots in March.

Source: Visit California and third-party data sets