Visit California

Sunny California, on the western coast of USA, has always been my favourite during my graduation times in the USA. California stretches from the Mexican border along the Pacific for nearly 900 miles and you come across cliff-lined beaches, redwood forest, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Central Valley farmland, and the Mojave Desert. The biggest entertainment center, Hollywood is in the city of Los Angeles and my preferred destination is the hilly San Francisco, known for the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Lombard street, and cable cars.

Recently in Delhi, I happened to relive memories from California during an event attended by delegates from more than 18 Destinations during Visit California, an organisation promoting tourism in California to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Visit California’s marketing activity in India. The mission delegation, led by Visit California President & CEO Caroline Beteta, includes California destination CEOs and senior travel executives from the state’s leading destinations, tourist attractions, and hotels.

“Visit California has identified India as its top opportunity market for visitation growth,” said Ms. Beteta during a press conference, “The delegates on this Sales Mission are eager to meet with their Indian counterparts, to create and grow relationships that make it easier for Indian visitors to come to California. We are tapping into various segments including Millennial travelers, self-drive enthusiasts, and luxury lovers, taking advantage of this excellent opportunity to reinforce California’s position as a premier destination for Indian travelers.”

We met a few of the delegation members along with other travel agents, tour operators, media, and wedding planners on the multi-city mission. The delegates talked about a variety of California’s family attractions, culinary experiences, outdoor adventure and signature laid-back luxury offerings, etc.

Visit California executes an always-on marketing and public relations program in India with a range of travel trade and consumer activities throughout the year. The mission provided Visit California’s partners an opportunity to strengthen existing partnerships and develop new relationships in the market.

The Indian market is critically important to California tourism. In 2018, 353,000 Indian travelers visited California, spending $1.1 billion in the state, with an average stay of 23.5 days. Current projections show an annual 5% to 6% increase in visitation forecasted for the foreseeable future. It is estimated that by 2023, Indian visitors will contribute over $1.5 billion to the state’s tourism economy.

California Sales Mission Delegates:

1. Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau
2. Citadel Outlets
3. Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau
4. Hilton Hotels of San Francisco Union Square
5. Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority
6. Los Angeles Tourism& Convention Board
7. Mono County Tourism
8. Pier 39
9. Red and White Fleet
10. Roaring Camp Railroads
11. San Diego Zoo/ San Diego Zoo Safari Park
12. San Francisco Travel Association
13. Santa Monica Travel & Tourism
14. Simon Shopping Destinations
15. Universal Studios Hollywood
16. Visit Santa Barbara
17. Visit West Hollywood
18. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

Visit California is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry – that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. According to Visit California, travelers to California spent a total of $140.6 billion in 2018, which generated 1.2 million jobs in the state and $11.8 billion in state and local tax revenue.

check for more information —  Visit California