2023 Economic Impact of Travel

This report assesses the economic impact of travel to the state of California, the 12 tourism regions, and 58 counties. 

 The travel industry represents an important component of California's state economy. This report describes the economic activity associated with travel throughout the state, detailing important trends within the industry. Spending, employment, earnings, and taxes are the key metrics used to measure the economic impacts of travel. Note that some destinations in California calculate visitation and economic impacts using different definitions of visitors and different data-gathering methods, so figures may not match.

Dean Runyan has also prepared economic impact reports by senate district and assembly district.

• In 2023, travel spending grew to $150.4 billion, a 5.6% increase from the prior year. Since the previous peak of 2019, travel spending has grown by 3.8%.
• The travel industry supported approximately 1.2 million jobs in 2023, a 5.9% increase from the prior year. As of 2023, California’s travel industry has restored 98% of the jobs compared to 2019.
• Travel-generated state and local tax revenue increased to $12.7 billion in 2023, an increase of 3.7% from the prior year. Compared to 2019, travel-generated tax revenue has grown by 3.0%.
• Visitors who stayed in a hotel or motel spent $63.3 billion in 2023, an increase of 5.4% from 2022. Visitors who stayed in a short-term vacation rental (STVR) spent $12.7 billion in 2023, an increase of 1.5% compared to 2022.