Visitation and Spend Forecast (May 2025)

An outlook on visitation and spending, including international spend and visitor forecast for 13 priority markets, and annual forecast for California's 12 tourism regions. 

• California’s visitor volume is projected to decline slightly by 0.7%, estimated at 267.8 million in 2025.
• According to Tourism Economics’ May forecast, Tourism spending in California is forecast to grow 0.5% and reach $158.1 billion in 2025.
  
• Domestic spending is forecast to rise by 1.4% in 2025, though it is expected to be impacted by a weaker U.S. economy and higher inflation due to tariffs.
• Domestic visitation is expected to reach 252.5 million visits in 2025.
• International visits are forecast to decline by 9.2% in 2025, driven by the impact of higher tariffs on the global economy and negative sentiment toward the U.S. due to the administration’s trade policies.
• The drop in international visits is forecast to cause international spending to decline 4.3% in 2025.