FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

VISIT SLO CAL CELEBRATES NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK AND

THE REGION’S $2.37 BILLION IN DIRECT TRAVEL SPENDING

 

 

SLO CAL region reaches new record of 7.7 million visitors in 2025, driving $112.5 million in tax

revenues and supporting nearly 25,000 local jobs

 

 

California’s tourism economy generated more than $158.9 billion in visitor spending,

$13.6 billion in tax revenue, supporting 1.2 million jobs

 

 

Visit SLO CAL highlights new brand campaign for 2026, “Turns Well Taken,” to drive more

tourism demand to SLO CAL and showcase the serendipitous experiences that define SLO CAL

 

 

San Luis Obispo County, California, May 4, 2026 – Visit SLO CAL (VSC), the official destination marketing and management organization (DMMO) for San Luis Obispo County (SLO CAL), today released new data highlighting the performance of the region’s tourism economy in 2025. According to a 2025 economic impact report by Dean Runyan Associates released by Visit California, SLO CAL generated $2.37 billion in direct travel spending and supported 24,580 jobs across the region.

 

 

Visitation totaled 7.7 million in 2025, another record high with a 3.5% year-over-year increase, signaling continued sustained growth beyond pandemic-era recovery. The report is available on Visit California’s website at industry.visitcalifornia.com and highlights new growth in direct visitor spending of 3.8% year-over-year, with gains across lodging, food service, arts and recreation and air travel.

 

 

“2025 was a breakthrough year for tourism in SLO CAL,” said Cathy Cartier, President & CEO of Visit SLO CAL. “Across the region, our visitors, partners and communities came together to build something stronger than what came before the pandemic. These results speak to the power of consistency, collaboration and shared momentum.”

 

 

Without annual tourism tax revenues, Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), each household would need to contribute an estimated $1,010 annually.  Additionally, tourism spending across the region beyond TOT offsets an estimated $21,301 per household in annual economic output.

 

 

Key economic impact findings released for 2025 include:

  • $2.37 billion in direct travel spending (up 3.8% YoY)
  • 24,580 tourism-supported jobs (up 430 jobs YoY)
  • $1.01 billion in direct earnings (up 5.3% YoY)
  • $215.5 million in total state and local tax revenue, including $112.5 million in local taxes
  • Tourism accounts for 9.7% of countywide GDP
  • 7.7 million visitors (up 3.5% YoY)

 

 

Visit SLO CAL recently launched a new brand campaign, “Turns Well Taken,” inviting travelers to embrace the unexpected moments that define SLO CAL. The campaign encourages visitors to slow down between plans, explore beyond itineraries and discover SLO CAL’s unique experiences at their own pace.

 

 

Three videos, “Best Journeys,” “Little Voice,” and “Loose Plans,” highlight spontaneous moments outside of a planned itinerary, which can be viewed on Visit SLO CAL’s website at slocal.com/turns-well-taken. The videos follow visitors as they experience multiple sides of SLO CAL in a single day, from Paso Robles to Pismo Beach and everything in between.

 

 

The report and the new campaign coincide with National Travel and Tourism Week (May 3-9, 2026) and California Tourism Month, recognizing the role of travel in driving economic vitality and strengthening communities statewide.

 

 

Across California, tourism generated more than $158.9 billion in visitor spending, $13.6 billion in state and local tax revenue and supported 1.2 million jobs for California workers, according to Visit California.

 

 

As SLO CAL’s official DMMO, Visit SLO CAL serves over 15 distinct cities and communities across San Luis Obispo County, including Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Avila Beach, Cambria, Cayucos, Cholame, Creston, Edna Valley, Grover Beach, Harmony, Los Osos & Baywood Park, Morro Bay, Nipomo, Oceano, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Pozo, Ragged Point, San Luis Obispo, San Miguel, Santa Margarita, San Simeon, Shandon, Shell Beach and Templeton.

 

 

For more information about Visit SLO CAL, visit slocal.com or contact Mayla Lohnes, mayla@slocal.com.

 

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ABOUT VISIT SLO CAL:

Visit SLO CAL (VSC) is the official countywide non-profit destination marketing and management organization (DMMO) for San Luis Obispo County, known as SLO CAL. Positioned midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, SLO CAL features more than 100 miles of breathtaking coastline, rolling vineyards covering over 40,000 acres and some of California’s most scenic open roads, including the iconic Highway 1. Visit SLO CAL promotes the region as a premier West Coast destination, celebrated for its signature slower pace of life and diverse, immersive experiences across over 15 communities and towns, including Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Avila Beach, Cambria, Cayucos, Cholame, Creston, Edna Valley, Grover Beach, Harmony, Los Osos & Baywood Park, Morro Bay, Nipomo, Oceano, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Pozo, Ragged Point, San Luis Obispo, San Miguel, Santa Margarita, San Simeon, Shandon, Shell Beach and Templeton. Under the shared brand promise, Life’s Too Beautiful to Rush, Visit SLO CAL strengthens the local economy and creates opportunities for the entire community. Built on research and a strategy of continuous improvement, the organization is committed to showcasing SLO CAL’s unique charm to travelers from around the world. For more information, visit slocal.com and follow @slocal on social media.

 

 

ABOUT NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK:

National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) is an annual tradition to celebrate the U.S. travel community and travel’s essential role in stimulating economic growth, cultivating vibrant communities, creating quality job opportunities, inspiring new businesses and elevating the quality of life for Americans every day. Celebrated annually the first full week of May, NTTW was created by Congress in 1983 to elevate the economic power of travel in the U.S. For more information, go to ustravel.org/NTTW.

 

 

ABOUT CALIFORNIA TOURISM MONTH:

Celebrated annually in May, California Tourism Month is an official state observance first designated by the Legislature in 2016 and re-authorized in subsequent years to spotlight the economic power of tourism across California communities and urges citizens to support tourism and local businesses by traveling in state as an act of civic pride. California Tourism Month also serves as a reminder to lawmakers that tourism doesn’t just happen but requires concerted marketing and favorable policies. For more information, go to visitcalifornia.com.