California’s tourism economy is growing, according to a new study by Visit California.The study suggests tourism generated just under $160 billion in 2025 and supported more than one million jobs. “California is still a place where people dream of visiting,” said Brenda Kirian, director of sales and marketing at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento. “You’ve got the mountains, you have the beach, you have the agriculture areas, and you’ve got big cities. There’s still just a really strong demand in California which is encouraging to see.”Sacramento is one of the cities in California that’s seeing big gains.”When a lot of people think about tourism they think about Las Vegas or New York, but the reality is a place like Sacramento has more than 15 million visitors annually, they spend well over $4 billion into our economy, it’s tens of thousands of jobs, so it’s not just about the big destinations,” Mike Testa with Visit Sacramento. “Tourism has huge impacts on smaller cities as well.”Testa says the city of Sacramento collects hotel taxes, and claims those taxes are up 40% since 2022.”If you look at tourism like a stock market portfolio, our offerings are very diverse and we’re seeing the results of that,” Testa said.In 2025, travel fell across the U.S. according to the Visit California study, but visitor spending rose 1.7% in the state.”Sacramento International Airport continues to expand, so there’s more airline crew business coming into the market. Conventions continue to be very strong,” Kirian said. “Business travel is picking up still a little.”Kirian credits festivals and concerts, the upcoming X Games, NCAA basketball tournament, Iron Man, and the California International Marathon as major contributing factors to the increase in tourism in Sacramento.According to the study, 55 of California’s 58 counties saw an increase in tourism.”Before, people were looking for a deal,” Kirian said. “Now, people are really looking for experiences when they come to a city.”See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
California’s tourism economy is growing, according to a new study by Visit California.
The study suggests tourism generated just under $160 billion in 2025 and supported more than one million jobs.
“California is still a place where people dream of visiting,” said Brenda Kirian, director of sales and marketing at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento. “You’ve got the mountains, you have the beach, you have the agriculture areas, and you’ve got big cities. There’s still just a really strong demand in California which is encouraging to see.”
Sacramento is one of the cities in California that’s seeing big gains.
“When a lot of people think about tourism they think about Las Vegas or New York, but the reality is a place like Sacramento has more than 15 million visitors annually, they spend well over $4 billion into our economy, it’s tens of thousands of jobs, so it’s not just about the big destinations,” Mike Testa with Visit Sacramento. “Tourism has huge impacts on smaller cities as well.”
Testa says the city of Sacramento collects hotel taxes, and claims those taxes are up 40% since 2022.
“If you look at tourism like a stock market portfolio, our offerings are very diverse and we’re seeing the results of that,” Testa said.
In 2025, travel fell across the U.S. according to the Visit California study, but visitor spending rose 1.7% in the state.
“Sacramento International Airport continues to expand, so there’s more airline crew business coming into the market. Conventions continue to be very strong,” Kirian said. “Business travel is picking up still a little.”
Kirian credits festivals and concerts, the upcoming X Games, NCAA basketball tournament, Iron Man, and the California International Marathon as major contributing factors to the increase in tourism in Sacramento.
According to the study, 55 of California’s 58 counties saw an increase in tourism.
“Before, people were looking for a deal,” Kirian said. “Now, people are really looking for experiences when they come to a city.”
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
