Watch: Plans to ‘jump-start’ travel and tourism’ as CA is set to fully reopen tomorrow
Ahead of the anticipated full reopening of California on Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom and state tourism officials are holding a live briefing to announce plans to "jump start the recovery of the travel & tourism industry."
You can watch it in the player below:
Newsom's office is also announcing "California Dream Vacations," tied into the vaccine incentive lottery. One Riverside County resident was pulled as a winner in last week's drawing for cash prizes.
As part of the vacation giveaways, vaccinated Californians can win getaways including at the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage.
TUNE IN: Governor @GavinNewsom & @VisitCA will highlight his #CAComeback Plan investments to jump-start the recovery of the travel & tourism industry & announce California Dream Vacations, a new #VaxFTW incentive.
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) June 14, 2021
Watch live at 9:30am: https://t.co/NN6mPdlOji
Tourism impacted by COVID-19
An Economic Impact of Travel Report released by Visit California in May of 2021 validated what most already knew: The pandemic wreaked havoc on the tourism industry statewide in 2020. The report found that spending related to travel in California plunged by 55 percent compared to the year before.
Also in May, a state promotional campaign was unveiled. It is aimed at encouraging Californians to take summer vacations in-state. The head of Visit California, Caroline Beteta, suggested it was the "patriotic duty" of Californians to help tourism-related businesses recover.
The Coachella Valley has been on a steady rebound. In a recent Palm Springs Transient Occupancy Tax report showing tax recordings in March 2021 nearly doubled from March 2020 when COVID-19 was just ramping up. The TOT is limited to Palm Springs and is collected from hotels and vacation rentals, making it a direct reflection of just how much tourism pours into the local economy.
"We are one of the success stories of a destination that’s done well," the public relations manager for Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism, Randy Garner, told News Channel 3 last month.
The Coachella Valley was hit particularly hard considering how reliant it is on tourism. But typically around this time, tourism tends to drop off as people opt for destinations apart from the sweltering summer months.
California Reopening
Most of California’s coronavirus rules governing public gatherings will disappear on Tuesday after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Friday afternoon that heralds the end of the pandemic’s hold on much of public life for the nation’s most populous state.
Newsom’s action on Friday ensures the state will end the stay-at-home order and its various amendments on Tuesday after more than 15 months on the books as more than 70% of adults in the state have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Starting Tuesday, there will be no capacity limits or physical distancing requirements for businesses. People who are fully vaccinated won’t be required to wear a mask — including indoors.
While much of public life will officially return to normal on Tuesday, the state will still be under a statewide declaration of emergency. That means Newsom retains his authority to alter or suspend state laws indefinitely, either until he decides to end the emergency declaration or the state Legislature does it for him. That latter option is not likely because Democrats dominate the Legislature by a wide margin and are allied with the Democratic governor.
