The California meetings market has been slow to recover as it was unable to operate for most of 2020 and into 2021. Spending by international visitors, which was nearly $28 billion in 2019 and were California’s biggest export, plummeted with travel restrictions and stood at just $5.4. billion in 2021. Aided by marketing stimulus funds approved by the Legislature in mid-2021, Visit California has launched initiatives to promote leisure and business travel across the state. One of these initiatives included a new national brand campaign with “Am I Dreaming? which premiered on the Super Bowl pre-game show. The organization also reinstated marketing programs in priority international markets to tap into pent-up demand and entice travelers to choose California for their first long-haul vacation.
Economic projections, prepared by Tourism Economics and released by Visit California earlier this year, showed that travel-related spending will reach $144.6 billion in 2023, almost the same as in 2019. If reached, the tourism economy will have returned to 2019 levels a year earlier than expected a year ago. Spending is now expected to reach $155.9 billion in 2024.
The release of the Economic Impact Report coincides annually with the start of California Tourism Month in May, which the legislature designated in 2016.