California’s tourism industry a $126b economy

UPDATE 5/4/2017 6:30 p.m.:

Visitor spending is topping a new record for the state of California. Visit California, a nonprofit organization that promotes tourism, reported on Thursday that travelers spent $126 billion in California last year, its seventh straight year of growth. Its 2016 Economic Impact Report also showed tourism generated $10.3 billion in tax revenue and supported more than one million jobs last year.

KION took a closer look at the 167-page report. We found in Monterey County, visitor spending was $2.8 billion last year, despite a season marred by disastrous events like the Soberanes Fire.

“We saw an increase of more than five-percent in local taxes left by visitors and an increase in job growth of almost three and a half percent,” said Tammy Blount, president and CEO of Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

MCCVB is releasing its own economic report next week. It will be similar to the state’s report, but focused on Monterey County’s tourism-related jobs, taxes and revenues.

Two of California’s millions of visitors are Martin Firth and Beverley Shimwell of the United Kingdom. The couple is spending a few days in Monterey, as part of their trip throughout California. They specifically wanted to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where Big Blue Live filmed in 2015.

“Thought we’d come down the West Coast and see some of the sights that I’ve always wanted to go to,” Firth said.

Santa Cruz County also saw a big boost — $849 million from visitors in 2016, $9 million more than the previous year.

In an effort to get more international visitors, Visit Santa Cruz County, along with its partners released a nearly three minute video targeting other countries, showing that Santa Cruz and Monterey counties are a simple cruise away from Mineta-San Jose International Airport.

The video will be distributed through e-newsletters, online and at a travel trade and media show later this year. As visitors come and go, so does the approach to reach more.

“We constantly have to evolve our approach to marketing to make sure that we’re targeting the right visitor at the right time and balancing our quality of life as residents with the growth of the visitor industry,” Blount said. “But we’re also adjusting our approach so, as technology evolves, people really look to their peers for information and in their decision making, we’re using social media platforms much more, content marketing much more than traditional advertising.”

Blount said China continues to be a dominate market for tourists, while officials in Santa Cruz County said they see potential in visitors from the United Kingdom.

ORIGINAL POST:

Monterey and Santa Cruz counties are seeing major tourism growth. Visit California’s 2016 Economic Impact Report was released on Thursday, highlighting the state’s travel and tourism industry. The report said traveler’s spent $126 billion in California in 2016, the state’s seventh straight year of growth.

While Santa Cruz County saw $849 million in visitor spending, Monterey County’s visitor spending was $2.8 billion last year.

“We saw an increase of more than five percent in local taxes left by visitors and an increase in job growth of almost three and a half percent,” said Tammy Blount, President & CEO at Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Visit California works to draw more interest and appeal in California. The organization has launched marketing campaigns all over the country, including China, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Martin Firth and Beverley Shimwell, who are from the UK, have spent years dreaming of visiting California. We met the couple in Monterey, days after they visited San Simeon and before the went to San Francisco.

“We wanted to come here (to Monterey) because it was just like the epitome of California really,” Firth said. “Monterey Bay and Old Fisherman’s Wharf, I’ve heard of them. All the years I’ve seen pictures and you think, ‘Shucks, I want to go.'”