California Travel Needs Your Help Now!
AB 285 was introduced in February and amended March 16. The California Tourism Recovery Act will implement a new advertising campaign known as the “Calling All Californians” which is a media blitz designed to promote travel and tourism in our state and to get us back on the “places to go” radar with national and international travel managers. This program is being created “for the purpose of reversing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel and tourism industry in California, including all of us in surface transportation,” according to CalTravel.org.
California’s travel industry one of the 5 largest economic drivers for the state. Before COVID-19, more than 1.2 million California workers earned their livelihoods in line hospitality. Visitors spent $145 billion annually at California line businesses, generating $12.3 billion in state and local tax revenues. International travelers spent $28.1 billion in California, making travel the state’s largest export.
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted travel and hospitality more than any other industry. More than 1/2 of California’s 1.2 million travel line 15 and hospitality industry workers lost their jobs because of the line 16 pandemic. California lost $78.8 billion in visitor spending in 2020, which is a 54.5 percent decline.
The “Calling All Californians” campaign is in the approval stages now. The state is expected to earmark $45 million spread out over the next three years in advertising and marketing spend all focused on reviving travel within the borders of California. This is a VERY good start and about time!
According to the Bill, California is already behind many other states. For example, New Mexico, with a travel economy 20 times smaller than California’s, is earmarking $25 million for tourism marketing as part of its COVID-19 recovery plan.
Yesterday a letter was produced by the California Travel Association that I’ve added below. It is CRITICAL that ALL OF YOU who need the rebound in California tourism to happen sooner than later sign this and send it into your Senator and/or Assembly Member so we can get the much-needed advertising money from the state to market travel to return. If you don’t know who that person in in your district click here: http://www.legislature.ca.gov/legislators_and_districts.html
LETTER TO BE PUT ON YOUR OWN LETTER HEAD AND SENT IN VIA EMAIL
Dear [Senator or Assembly Member],
As your constituent and a member of the California travel and tourism industry, I am writing in support of a $45 million budget allocation to Visit California for implementing the “Calling All Californians” campaign to jump-start travel when it is safe to do so.
COVID-19 has affected travel and hospitality jobs more than any other industry, confirmed by the report of the Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery. More than half of California’s 1.2 million travel and hospitality industry workers lost their jobs because of the pandemic. Lower-wage workers have disproportionately borne the impact of job losses and the January Budget proposal suggests that these jobs may never return. For every tourism job lost, a ripple effect occurs in the ecosystem that supports the travel industry. Every three travel industry jobs support another two California jobs.
Before the coronavirus, California’s travel industry was one of the largest economic drivers for the state. In 2019, more than 1.2 million California workers earned their livelihoods in hospitality. Visitors spent $145 billion annually at California businesses, generating $12.3 billion in state and local tax revenues (Source: Dean Runyan Associates). International travelers spent $28.1 billion in California, making travel the state’s largest export. However, in 2020, California lost $85.9 billion in visitor spending— a 59.3% decline.
It's critically important to [MY BUSINESS/INSERT BUSINESS/ORGANIZATION] that you please support allocating $45 million to Visit California’s marketing program to accelerate California’s economic recovery.
Funding the rebound of the travel and tourism industry will provide a ripple effect for our communities and will get hundreds of thousands of Californians back to work. This allocation will be an important down payment to help California recover from the dire economic impact of the coronavirus once it is safe to travel again. Please reach out to Emellia Zamani at ezamani@caltravel.org if you have any questions. Your continued commitment to service is needed now more than ever.
Thank you,
[YOUR NAME,
ORGANIZATION]