Los Angeles has experienced a decline in tourism for the first time since the pandemic amid gains in nearly every other county in the state.
According to arecent reportfrom Visit California,tourism in the statein 2025 overall was good, with $158.9 billion spent by travelers, an increase of more than 1.7% over the year before.
Statewide a total of $13.6 billion helped to generated tax revenue, which was an increase of 3.6% over the previous year. Jobs related to travel also grew, with 1.2 million nowin the state, an increase from the prior year, the report noted.
The new report also breaks down the impact on a county level. Out of the 58 counties, travel demand grew in 55 of them.
Despite growth in nearly every corner of the state, tourism in LA dropped for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic crash.
Direct travel spending in LA was down by .1% from the previous year, when the area has typically experienced a growth of nearly 3% every year over the last decade.
The report noted that there was also a drop of 8% in spending byvisitors who travel by airand that it contributed to the LA’s tourism decline. That slump was equal to $188 million that the county didn’t get.
“Los Angeles is California’s primary global gateway,” Visit California Chief Executive Caroline Beteta told theLA Times. “No other region relies as heavily on international visitation, so when global travel softens, L.A. feels it first and most acutely.”
Between August and November 2025, international air arrivals dropped in the county by 30%, as the state overall saw an increase of 3%, the Times noted.
According to a recent LA city report, “The sharp decline in international travel seen in early 2025 that has reduced hotel tax receipts for two fiscal years is projected to recover in 2026 with the upcoming World Cup.”
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
