JUNE 23, 2025

Two large California oil refineries are set to close in 2026, triggering mounting concerns from state legislators, industry groups, and many others. Together, the shutdowns will eliminate nearly 300,000 barrels-per‑day of refining capacity—roughly 20% of the total used in the state. With less local supply, experts warn of potential impacts on California drivers. One analysis forecasts prices could soar over $8 per gallon by late 2026.

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JUNE 20, 2025

Last week, U.S. Travel wrapped up its annual IPW, where travel professionals from around the world gathered to build relationships with global buyers and promote destinations across the United States. IPW 2025’s key message centered on increasing international inbound visitation. The 2025 event is expected to attract nearly 10.9 million new visitors to the U.S. over the next three years.

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JUNE 19, 2025

This summer, unsafe, illegal, and environmentally harmful roadside parking in Emerald Bay will be replaced with a new shuttle service, funded by Keep Tahoe Blue and the Tahoe Fund. The service will offer an easy, convenient, and lake-friendly transportation alternative to access one of Tahoe’s most visited spots. Shuttle service to Emerald Bay will begin on July 15 and will operate seven days a week through October 15.

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JUNE 19, 2025

As the Trump administration ramps up immigration raids in California, some restaurants—worried about their workers or finding that customers are staying home more—are closing temporarily. Many street vendors are going into hiding, and some food festivals and farmers markets have been canceled. The disruptions come at a difficult time for California’s restaurant industry, which is already grappling with soaring costs.

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JUNE 18, 2025

In L.A. County, where transit lines are sometimes miles apart, transit leaders’ plans for the 2028 Olympics rely on a robust fleet of buses to get people to and from venues and avoid a traffic meltdown. The plan hinges on a $2-billion ask of the Trump administration to lease 2,700 buses to join Metro’s fleet of roughly 2,400, traveling on a network of designated lanes from venue to venue. But the federal government has yet to respond to the city’s request.

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JUNE 18, 2025

Last week, Unite Here Local 11 filed paperwork for a pair of ballot proposals. One would raise the minimum wage for all workers in the city to $30 by July 2028. The other would force a public vote on the construction of large hotels, major hotel expansions, and the development or expansion of event centers. To place the measure on the ballot in an upcoming election, the union would need to collect about 140,000 signatures within 120 days.

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JUNE 16, 2025

At last week’s IPW, Brand USA announced its new ‘America the Beautiful’ global campaign—“a bold agenda” that defies recent headlines and puts the focus back on the country’s incredible destinations, unforgettable experiences, and forever memory-makers. “With this campaign, we’re sending a clear message: the USA is open for business and ready to welcome legitimate international travelers,” said Brand USA CEO Fred Dixon.

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JUNE 10, 2025

The Trump administration has deployed a battalion of 700 Marines to Los Angeles, along with 2,000 additional National Guard troops, in response to days of protests in the city. The Pentagon did not make clear why it would need more National Guard troops in the city. California has sued to block the use of the National Guard. And Democrats have expressed alarm about the arrival of Marines.

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JUNE 9, 2025

Visit Anaheim has unveiled 'Imaginagency,' a first-of-its-kind travel initiative created in collaboration with actress and entrepreneur Tia Mowry. Designed to reimagine the family vacation experience, this innovative campaign places children at the helm of planning, offering itineraries crafted entirely by young minds. Spearheading the initiative are six “Imaginagents,” who have curated six unique, bookable Anaheim experiences.

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JUNE 9, 2025

National parks across the country have been under budget and understaffed for years, and the situation has only been made worse by recent cuts to the federal workforce. Due to the staffing shortage, the National Park Service (NPS) has said park staff may be asked to take on extra roles to keep parks safe and open. The NPS has lost 13% of its 20,000-person workforce since January, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.

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JUNE 8, 2025

The Walt Disney Company and Universal—two of the biggest names in theme parks—are both undertaking historic expansions to their experiences businesses. These investments come at a time when both Disney and Comcast are paring down or spinning off their linear TV segments, an arena that has seen volatility in recent years, while theme parks have been consistent revenue drivers for the companies post-pandemic.

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JUNE 6, 2025

The Trump Administration’s newly announced travel ban will not be impacting the 2026 World Cup or the 2028 Olympics. The travel ban explicitly excludes athletes, listing in the exemptions “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.”

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JUNE 3, 2025

Visit California’s Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution to move forward with the 2025 renewal referendum, officially launching Forward Together, the campaign to renew the industry’s self-assessment that funds Visit California’s global marketing efforts. Tourism leaders are encouraged to visit vote.visitcalifornia.com to add their name to the growing list of supporters.

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MAY 28, 2025

California’s port traffic is beginning to look worse now than it did at the height of the pandemic. The Port of Long Beach said the number of cancellations they're seeing today is starting to exceed what they experienced during the pandemic. The Port of Los Angeles expected 80 ships to arrive in May, but 17 were canceled. And the Port of Oakland saw a 15% month-over-month drop in container activity in April.

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APRIL 16, 2025

California is suing President Trump over tariffs—Gov. Newsom’s most direct challenge to the president since he retook office in January. The move comes after Newsom spent months appealing to the president for federal disaster relief. The lawsuit targets the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, which the president is using to impose tariffs without congressional approval.

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APRIL 15, 2025

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a tourism campaign urging Canadians to “come experience our California Love” after seeing a dip in visitation by Canadians. In a video posted to social media, Newsom focuses on the allure of the Golden State while distancing it from Trump’s administration, noting that California is “over 2,000 miles from Washington and a world away in mindset.”

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APRIL 14, 2025

Hilton’s Annual Trends Report found that recreating memories is one of the most common reasons Americans choose leisure travel, with 58% of travelers saying they want to revisit childhood destinations. This nostalgic travel trend—or “time tripping”—is about revisiting simpler times, reconnecting with the places and experiences that shaped them, and sharing those experiences with new generations.

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APRIL 9, 2025

The 2028 Olympic games in Los Angeles will feature 28 more medal events than Paris 2024. The additions are part of a broader push by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to modernize the games and attract new audiences. The final program was shaped by guiding principles set in 2023, which emphasized global appeal, cost-efficiency, athlete focus, and gender balance.

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APRIL 8, 2025

Asm. Matt Haney and Sen. Scott Wiener are bringing back a measure to allow some restaurants and bars to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and state holidays. Supporters of the proposal say it would revitalize post-pandemic nightlife across California cities and draw more visitors and revenue, especially as the state prepares to host the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

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APRIL 8, 2025

The stock market is continuing to fluctuate wildly. Drawing parallels with the 1929 Wall Street crash and the ensuing 1930s Great Depression, the president’s “liberation day” tariff plan has led to warnings of a global recession from leading economists. As market volatility continues to feed fears, it’s hard to resist comparing what’s happening now with market crises of the past.

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APRIL 7, 2025

Because California receives a disproportionate amount of income tax revenue from capital gains earned by the wealthiest taxpayers, the tumbling stock market could take a significant bite out of the state budget next year. The state is also worried about how the tariffs could weaken California’s large manufacturing and agriculture sectors, as well as tourism and major ports. Finance officials are modeling different scenarios, some of which would require spending cuts.

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APRIL 7, 2025

California tourism could lose billions of dollars because of federal policies on tariffs, immigration, and gender identity, as well as talks of annexing Canada. A broad travel slowdown could hurt different industries that fall under the tourism umbrella, including hospitality and restaurants—and the roughly 3 million Californians who work in them. A significant decline in visitation could also lead to airlines pulling routes from the state’s airports.

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APRIL 6, 2025

The Trump administration has issued an order demanding that all national parks remain open amid severe staffing shortages—an action that raised concerns as park personnel brace for millions of visitors this summer. The order comes after President Trump slashed about 1,000 National Park Service workers this year, with many hundreds more taking buyouts.

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APRIL 4, 2025

According to Google Trends, “no-passport vacations” are going to be the most popular way to travel this summer. Whether it’s due to the economy or the state of air travel, more and more people will be choosing to travel closer to home this year. Recent survey results from Club Wyndham and Talker also found that nearly twice as many people prefer to drive to vacation destinations (40%) than fly (26%), and 60% believe they have not seen enough of the cities or attractions throughout the United States.

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APRIL 2, 2025

While California started the year with a dry spell, February and March brought more fresh snow to the Sierra Nevada, pushing the state's snowpack to 96% of average on April 1, when the snow season typically reaches its peak. The near-average snowpack has given the state a third straight year of ample water supplies in the mountains—something that hasn't happened in a quarter of a century.

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MARCH 26, 2025

The Los Angeles wildfires put a spotlight on several issues hoteliers are up against, including the rising cost of labor amid a high-inflation environment. Hotel owners also worry about the rising cost of insurance, which is climbing as natural disasters like wildfires become more prevalent. Lodging associations are now calling on City Council to suspend city-level tenancy requirements, the Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance, and the Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance.

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MARCH 25, 2025

After President Trump said he would impose tariffs on Canada, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau encouraged Canadians to change their vacation plans to focus on exploring destinations within the country—and it worked. A boycott by Canadians—the top international visitor—threatens to upend local economies across the U.S. Canadians made about 20.2 million visits to the U.S. in 2024.

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MARCH 24, 2025

On Monday, CalFire released its final round of color-coded hazard maps, which show how much of the state is prone to wildfires—and how much the danger zone has grown since the last round of hazard maps were released over a decade ago. While the maps have been in the works for years, their release coincides with renewed public anxiety over wildfire risk, the state’s fragile home insurance market, and the management of development in places most prone to burning.

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MARCH 22, 2025

Millions of visitors are drawn to California each year to experience its picturesque landscapes and pristine shoreline. The threats are alarming environmentalists, who consider protecting the shoreline a fundamental part of California’s culture.

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MARCH 21, 2025

Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Finland are among a growing number of countries warning their citizens about potential problems they could face if they travel to the U.S. The advisory updates appear to highlight recent federal policy changes that have made it harder to cross the border and revoked policies that benefit people who are transgender.

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