Visit California CEO Explains Why Travel Matters to Everyone

Caroline Beteta
Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California, presents an update on the status of the tourism industry at the CalChamber Board of Directors dinner on December 12 in Monterey. Travel matters to people outside the industry, she says, for three reasons: First, because it is a vital part of the state’s economic engine. The transient occupancy tax generates enough revenue so that Californians pay $1,900 less per year in taxes. Second, destination promotion drives business/economic development because site selection specialists are influenced by where they travel for leisure. Third, tourism is a service export. International visitors spend $28 billion a year in California; they are served by the hospitality industry and then go home. She reports that the industry has recovered from the pandemic-forced shutdown. Visitor spending is at $150 billion per year, generating $12.7 billion in tax revenue and 1 million good jobs.