This February 24, 2021 image shows the “firefall” effect on Yosemite’s El Capitan.Photo credit: Edward Smith
Published May 7, 2024 – 2:32 p.m.
Written by Ben Hensley
As California’s tourism industry continues to recover from the pandemic, Central Valley tourism continues its upward trajectory in 2023, with the four-county region generating nearly $3 billion in travel-related spending.
This annual report is published by Visit California, the state tourism agency, and prepared by Dean Runyan Associates.
Fresno County generated $1.74 billion in direct travel spending in 2023, an increase of nearly 1% annually. Travel spending has steadily increased from her low point of $930 million in 2020, with Fresno County surpassing her pre-pandemic travel spending levels in 2022.
State and local tax revenue from travel in 2023 totaled $142 million, a slight increase from 2022. Jobs created by travel totaled 16,590, an increase of 5%.
Most categories of visitor spending in Fresno County increased in 2023, except for retail sales (down 0.6%) and local transportation and gasoline (down 7.3%).
Tourist air spending increased by about 14% last year, reaching a total of $70 million.
Fresno County hotel/motel spending totaled $516 million, a decrease of 2.4%. Lisa Oliveira, president and CEO of Visit Fresno County, said the coming years will see several new hotels aimed at welcoming tourists and conventions back to the Central Valley. He said the situation is likely to change.
“Our goal for 2024 is to remind people that Fresno County is a tourist destination by booking more events and showcasing great things to do in Fresno County cities and nearby national parks. ” she said in a statement. “It really is a place where you can experience California from a different perspective.”
Direct travel spending in Tulare County totaled $590 million in 2023, an increase of 0.5% from 2022. Travel employment totaled 6,100 people last year, an increase of 4.1%. Local and state tax revenue increased 0.3% to $53.4 million.
Direct travel spending in Kings County totaled $226.3 million, down slightly from 2022. Tax revenues totaled 18.7%, down 1.6%.
In Madera County, a key gateway to Yosemite National Park, direct travel spending totaled $430.1 million in 2023, an increase of nearly 6%. Travel-related tax revenues totaled $37.8 million, an increase of 2.7% from the previous year.
Overall, California will spend more than $150.4 billion in travel-related spending in 2023, an increase of 5.6% from 2022 and continuing an upward trend since 2020. Tourism generated more than $12.7 billion in state and local tax revenue and more than $65,000 in tax revenue. This brings the total number of tourism-related employees to more than 1.2 million.
