NTCA’s Legislative Day with CalTravel

NTCA President and CEO, Tony Karwowski, shares a recap of CalTravel’s Annual Advocacy Day.

On May 21, I had the privilege of traveling to Sacramento to attend CalTravel’s annual Tourism Advocacy Day.  Well over 100 tourism representatives from across the state convened at our state capitol to voice the industry’s needs related to pending legislation and highlight the importance of tourism’s economic impact on the state.

In small groups, we met with key assembly members and senators alongside counterparts from Mammoth Lakes, Ski California, Visit Fresno County, Visit Yosemite, and Madden Media.  We met with representatives and staff of Assemblymembers Hadwick, Tangipa, and Arambula, as well as Senators Alvarado-Gil and Grove.

Our team focused on the benefits of tourism across the state, including tourism’s $157.3 billion contribution to California’s economy in 2024, which generated $12.6 billion in local and state tax revenues.  We expressed support for SB 370, a bill to establish a grant program for music festival preservation across the state, and AB 1445, the Downtown Revitalization and Economic Recovery Financing Districts, to support struggling city downtowns across the state by establishing a redevelopment financing mechanism to attract new residents and visitors.

We also highlighted the importance of maintaining funding for forest fuels reduction across the state to help reduce the threat of wildfires, especially in areas around ski resorts and mountain communities. Lastly, we spoke about California’s insurance issues and how increased rates due to recent wildfires are hitting our business community particularly hard.

For an up-to-date listing of priority bills Cal Travel supports or opposes and their current status, check out Cal Travel’s Advocacy Toolkit Page.