Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliNative
I think cities in the same region are complimentary and help each other attract tourists. When a European or Asian tourist (or one from the eastern U.S.) flies to California on a multiday vacation, most will visit a number of cities and places--- S.F., L.A., Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, San Diego, Yosemite, etc. etc. etc. The places compliment each other and draw more tourists to the region. Because of all the things to do in the southwest and California coast, it is a massive tourist draw (or was before covid). It will be again. The whole region must be in the top 5 "must see" regions in the world.
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This is a good point. I think LA and SF and Vegas benefit from each other in this regard, because they're all under an hours flight from each other (and dirt cheap airfare), so it's easy for international tourists to combine it all into one 2-3 week trip. If you go to Italy, you're likely to hit up Rome, Florence, and Venice. For Japan, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. For Thailand, Bangkok and Phuket.
In addition to the major cities, you've also got the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and to a lesser extent, Tahoe, as major natural attractions for day or multi-day side trips offered by tour bus companies. When people travel to SF or LA, they're likely to include some combination of the above. If people don't care for Vegas, then they might venture to SD or maybe Monterey/Big Sur/Wine Country, or for the more nature inclined check out places like Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Sequoia National Forest, Zion, etc.
It'd be interesting to see which National Parks draw the most international tourists. Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited but I suspect the vast majority is domestic visitors.
Edit:
Found something.
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Five other national parks are within a six-hour drive from the Grand Canyon, making it very convenient for foreign visitors to see two or more parks within one visit. Last summer, 35 percent of foreign visitors to the Grand Canyon also visited another nearby park, according to Visa estimates. This option was most popular with European travelers, as at least 40 percent included a park in either California, Utah or Nevada in their trip.
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https://usa.visa.com/partner-with-us...-tourists.html