New report shows tourism growth in the Coachella Valley
A new study commissioned by the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is showing growth in the local tourism industry.
According to the study, visitor spending in Greater Palm Springs has increased 10 percent in the last two years, to $5.5 billion, and one in every four jobs is sustained by the tourism industry.
Among the study’s other findings included:
– Lodging revenue surged 15 percent over 2015, and room demand grew by 6 percent.
– Although more visitors came to Greater Palm Springs for the day (55 percent), overnight visitors spent more while in the area, accounting for 62 percent of total visitor spending.
– Tourism in Greater Palm Springs generated $1 billion in tax revenues in 2017.
– Just over 1 million passengers came through Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) in 2017, 12 percent more than in 2015, with international arrivals from Canada accounting for an increasing share of the total.
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Staff at the Greater Palm Springs CVB said the study highlighted the tourism industry’s $7 billion dollar economic impact in the region. They credited some of the growth to a big marketing push.
“Last year we aired about 1.7 million commercials around the country, so we’re really telling everybody that we have this great destination,” Scott White, CEO of the Greater Palm Springs CVB, said.
That includes visitors eating at local restaurants and staying at local hotels.
“I’ve been here four years and it keeps on growing,” Tom Tabler, general manager at the J.W. Marriott said. “Every year has been more tourists, more leisure travelers, more conventioneers, it’s amazing.”
With a rosy outlook projected with the study, tourism officials said there was still room for improvements in the industry.
“Transportation is probably the number one reason we could either grow or decline, so we need to make sure that were relevant with transportation,” White said. He cited getting more airlines to the Palm Springs airport for direct flights.
Another area officials wanted to see grow was higher education in expanding local college campuses and having programs at high schools cultivating potential workers in the industry. This included the Hospitality Academy at Coachella Valley High School.
“It’s fantastic,” Anahi Guillen, a sophomore, said. “Like I get to explore new opportunities here and there and it will help me when I get older, when I get into business.”
The Greater Palm Springs CVB said it plans on increasing yearly visitor travel to the Coachella Valley to 16.8 million by 2026.
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