Davis spoke with experts and provided the scoop. Let\u2019s take a look at what she wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n You’re reading the Essential California newsletter <\/p>\n Our reporters guide you through the most important news, features and recommendations of the day.<\/p>\n By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>. <\/p>\n What the numbers say<\/p>\n International tourist arrivals to the state fell by 8% in the three months through August, according to data released Monday from Visit California. That is more than 170,000 fewer global tourists than last year. This is critical because international tourists spend up to eight times more per visit<\/a> than domestic tourists. <\/p>\n Of all the state\u2019s international travelers, arrivals from Canada fell the most (32%) in the three summer months.<\/p>\n Empty landmarks<\/p>\n On Hollywood Boulevard, there are fewer tourists, and the ones who show up are spending less, said Salim Osman, who works for Ride Like A Star, an exotic car company that rents to visitors looking to take a luxury vehicle for a spin and snap the quintessential L.A. selfie.<\/p>\n This summer, he said foot traffic dropped by nearly 50%.<\/p>\n \u201cIt used to be shoulder to shoulder out here,\u201d he said, looking along the boulevard, normally teeming with tourists.<\/p>\n Business has been slow around the TCL Chinese Theatre, where visitors place their hands into the concrete hand prints of celebrities like Kristen Stewart and Denzel Washington.<\/p>\n There were fewer people to hop onto sightseeing buses, check out Madame Tussauds wax museum and snap impromptu photos with patrolling characters such as Spider-Man and Mickey Mouse. Souvenir shop operators nearby say they have also had to increase the prices of many of their memorabilia because of tariffs and a decline in sales.<\/p>\n Many of the state\u2019s most prominent attractions are also experiencing dry spells. Yosemite National Park reported a decrease of up to 50% in bookings ahead of Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n Theories as to what\u2019s keeping tourists away<\/p>\n The region\u2019s economy and image suffered significant setbacks this year.<\/p>\n Shocking images of the destructive Eaton and Palisades fires in January, followed by the immigration crackdown in June, made global news and repelled visitors like friends of Australian tourists Geoffrey and Tennille Mutton, who didn\u2019t accompany the couple to California this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people have had a changed view of America,\u201d Geoffrey said as his family enjoyed Ben & Jerry\u2019s ice cream outside of Hollywood\u2019s Dolby Theatre. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to come here and support this place.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, President Trump\u2019s tariff policies and other geopolitical posturing have convinced many international tourists to avoid America, particularly Canadians, said Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve hurt our Canadian friends with actions that the administration has taken. It\u2019s understandable,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know how long they won\u2019t want to travel to the states, but we\u2019re hopeful that it is short-term.\u201d<\/p>\n President Trump\u2019s talk of making Canada the 51st state<\/a> and his decision to hit Canada with tariffs have not endeared him to Canadian travelers. Meanwhile, media overseas have been bombarded<\/a> with stories of capricious denials and detentions at U.S. border crossings.<\/p>\n Visitors from China, India, Germany and Australia also avoided the state, according to the latest data. That has resulted in a dip in traffic at most Los Angeles area airports. Cynthia Guidry, director of Long Beach Airport, said reduced airline schedules, economic pressures and rising costs also hurt airport traffic.<\/p>\n Viva Mexico (tourists)!<\/p>\n Despite the southern border lockdown and the widespread immigration raids, Mexicans were a surprising exception to the tourism slump. Arrivals from our southern neighbor were up about 5% over the last three months from 2024. <\/p>\n I asked my cousin, Guillermo, about his travel motivations.<\/p>\n He noted his desire to see family but also to visit many of Southern California\u2019s jewels. He added that planning for this trip started a year earlier too.<\/p>\n Asked if he\u2019d reconsider visiting California in the future, he delivered a timeless response.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s a deal, I\u2019ll go.\u201d <\/p>\n For more, check out the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The week\u2019s biggest stories (Carlin Stiehl\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Explosion at Chevron\u2019s El Segundo RefineryCrimes, courts and policingMedia and tech newsEntertainment newsUnexpected deathsMore big storiesThis week\u2019s must-readsMore great readsFor your weekend (Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Going outStaying in<\/p>\n Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team<\/b><\/p>\n Jim Rainey, staff writer How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. Check our top stories<\/a>, topics<\/a> and the latest articles<\/a> on latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"About two months ago, my cousin Guillermo happily ventured from picturesque Cuernavaca, Mexico, to 95-degree Southern California. He…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":277245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[7830,7828,1582,276,7832,7824,7823,4140,6123,6772,7826,2961,224,2444,5337,2295,7825,5812,7829,7831,2501,527,7827],"class_list":{"0":"post-277244","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-autopilot","9":"tag-black-bears","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-convictions","13":"tag-coronavirus","14":"tag-covid","15":"tag-covid-19","16":"tag-driver","17":"tag-drought","18":"tag-essential-california-week","19":"tag-la","20":"tag-los-angeles","21":"tag-los-angeles-times","22":"tag-losangeles","23":"tag-newsletter","24":"tag-pandemic","25":"tag-search","26":"tag-tesla","27":"tag-thousands","28":"tag-ucla","29":"tag-water","30":"tag-years"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115316176140654636","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/277245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} <\/a> <\/p>\n
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Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor
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