California travel spending hit $158.9B 2025

California’s travel economy posted another record in 2025, but the headline number needs some unpacking. Visit California said on April 20 that statewide travel spending reached $158.9 billion last year, up 1.7% from $156.2 billion in 2024. The state’s tourism marketing organization said the industry added about 4,350 travel-supported jobs, bringing total travel-supported employment to roughly 1.17 million statewide. The figures came from Visit California’s annual economic impact report, prepared by Dean Runyan Associates. ### Where did the $158.9 billion figure come from? Visit California released the number in its 2025 Economic Impact of Travel report on April 20, 2026. The report covers the state, 12 tourism regions and all 58 counties, and says it measures spending, employment, earnings and tax revenue tied to travel activity in California. Dean Runyan Associates prepared the report for Visit California. (media.visitcalifornia.com) The industry group said prior-year figures were revised as new data became available, and it noted additional restatements for 2022 through 2024 because of methodology changes in the “Other Travel” spending category. ### How much did travel spending actually grow? The report put 2025 travel spending at $158.9 billion, compared with $156.2 billion in 2024. (industry.visitcalifornia.com) That works out to a 1.7% year-over-year increase, according to Visit California’s published takeaways. Visit California said growth was broad-based across the state. The organization said travel spending expanded in 55 of California’s 58 counties, a sign that the gains were not limited to a handful of coastal markets. (industry.visitcalifornia.com) ### What does the jobs number include? The 4,350 figure refers to travel-generated employment added in 2025, according to Visit California. (industry.visitcalifornia.com) The report said those gains brought total travel-supported employment to around 1.2 million jobs statewide, while the press release put the total at 1.17 million jobs. The report says those jobs include full- and part-time roles directly tied to travel. (media.visitcalifornia.com) Visit California said the employment count spans accommodations, transportation and rental cars, restaurants, retail, attractions, gasoline service stations and other businesses that serve travelers. ### Which parts of visitor spending were strongest? (media.visitcalifornia.com) Visit California said accommodations spending rose to $35.2 billion in 2025, up 2.2% from a year earlier. Food-service spending reached $38.5 billion, up 4.6%, while visitors staying in hotels, motels or short-term vacation rentals spent a combined $83.0 billion, up 2.7%. Hotel demand also outpaced the national trend, according to Visit California. (industry.visitcalifornia.com) The organization said California sold 1.2 million additional hotel room nights in 2025 even as U.S. room demand fell 0.5%, for a 0.8% increase in California. ### How much tax revenue did travel generate? Visit California said travel-generated state and local tax revenue reached $13.6 billion in 2025. (industry.visitcalifornia.com) That was up 3.6% from $13.2 billion in 2024, according to the report. Caroline Beteta, president and chief executive of Visit California, said in the release that tourism remained “an incredibly resilient pillar” of the state economy. (media.visitcalifornia.com) That characterization was hers; the underlying report itself lists the revenue, spending and employment totals. ### What are officials pointing to next? (industry.visitcalifornia.com) Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted the travel figures in a May 12 statement from Sacramento. His office said California remained the nation’s top travel destination and pointed to 1.2 million additional room nights booked across the state. (media.visitcalifornia.com) Visit California said its 2025 economic impact reports by state Senate and Assembly district would be available in May 2026. The organization also pointed to California Tourism Month in May and to FIFA World Cup matches in June 2026 as the next major milestones on the state’s tourism calendar. (media.visitcalifornia.com) (gov.ca.gov)