California Travel Industry on the Road to Recovery: Report from Visit California
California Travel Industry on the Road to Recovery: Report from Visit California
The California travel industry has been in a state of flux over the past few years, with the pandemic really taking its toll on the business. However, it looks like the worst may be behind us and that we can look forward to a strong recovery in the coming months. According to a new report from Visit California, travel-related spending increased 31.7% in 2022 to $134.4 billion, although it was still down 7.2% from peak numbers seen in 2019.
Los Angeles County saw a significant increase in spending, with $28.5 billion spent last year compared to just $21 billion in 2021. Employment is also up 16%, pushing total employment base to 1.1 million jobs – although these numbers are still 3% short of what they were in 2019.
The state’s tourism industry contributed $11.9 billion in taxes to the local and state governments, a 21.6% increase compared to 2021, yet still 3% below 2019 levels. This indicates that although things have improved, California is still not back to pre-pandemic levels of travel spending and tax contribution.
At a recent event for California Tourism Month, Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of Visit California said that “California tourism in 2022 has definitely bounced back from the human and economic toll of the pandemic”, adding that she believes “we’re poised to set new records for visitor spending, employment and tax in 2023”.
It appears that the travel industry in California has grown significantly since 2021 but is still short of what it was before the pandemic. It’s encouraging to see signs of recovery and with a little bit of luck, this should be achievable in the near future.
