In California, It Pays to Be Nice to the Locals

If one group of tourists spends $69.30 per person per day, and the other drops $103 a head, which is more valuable to an area’s tourist economy?

In California’s case, it’s the former. In-state travelers spend only two-thirds of what nonresident tourists do, but there are a heck of a lot more of them. Of the 280 million “person trips” made in the state last year, 232 million of them were California residents, according to figures tallied by the California Division of Tourism.

That means most of the $55 billion pumped into the state’s hotels, restaurants, theme parks and other attractions last year came from tourists bearing California license plates. It just goes to show it pays to be nice to the locals.

“We’re our own best customer,” said Anita Kramer, executive vice president of the California Lodging Industry. “We have it all right here.”