Tourism in California reaches new heights in spending

The tourist economy in California last year set a new record with $150.4 billion in spending, according to travel officials.

That beat the pre-pandemic record of $144.9 billion in 2019, Visit California announced Sunday.

"California tourism is back where it belongs – setting records and providing for the workers, business owners and all Californians who depend on the travel industry as a cornerstone of our state’s economy," said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California, the state’s tourism marketing organization. "The industry has once again proved its ability to recover from any challenge, whether it be economic or environmental."

While popular destinations like Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties saw record tourism spending last year, San Francisco had not quite reached pre-pandemic levels, officials said. Tourism-related spending in San Francisco in 2023 was 97% of what was spent in 2019.

Domestic tourism spending was picking up the slack for international visitors to California, Visit California said. While foreign trawlers spent $24.3 billion in California in 2023, that is still below 2018 when it peaked at $28.6 billion. 

Officials said that the tax-revenue generated from tourist spending translated into $966 saved by every household in the state. The tourism economy added 64,900 jobs in California last year, officials said