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.
Read MoreJUNE 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.
Read MoreJUNE 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.
Read MoreMAY 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.
Read MoreAPRIL 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.”
Read MoreAPRIL 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.
Read MoreAPRIL 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.
Read MoreAPRIL 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.
Read MoreAPRIL 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.
Read MoreAPRIL 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.
Read MoreAPRIL 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.
Read MoreAPRIL 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.
Read MoreMARCH 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.
Read MoreMARCH 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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