California Resident Sentiment on Travel and Tourism

Ongoing study of U.S. households that measures key indicators of how residents perceive travel and tourism in their area. The report includes three annual waves of data (2022, 2023 and 2024) for the U.S., California, 12 tourism regions, 27 counties, and 22 cities. Cities and counties included have a minimum sample size of 56 and 72, respectively.

• 62% of California’s residents have a highly positive perception of the state’s travel and tourism industry.
• Californians recognize tourism’s significant role in workforce development: 55% express strong positivity toward the tourism industry as a critical driver of job creation and employment opportunities.
• 58% of residents strongly agree that tourism contributes to the growth of local shopping, dining, and entertainment.
• Residents see the value of tourism and want their local government involved: 51% of residents strongly agree that tourism should be actively promoted by their local government, and 53% feel very positive about the local tax revenue generated by the industry.
• Residents in California’s gateway regions report more favorable views of travel and tourism compared to those in non-gateway regions.
• Among the 12 tourism regions, San Diego County holds the most positive toward travel and tourism and shows the highest level of support for tourism promotion.