Going Places

As California’s third-largest employer, the state’s tourism industry raked in about $61.2 billion in 1997. About one out of six dollars in travel spending nationwide landed in California, where visitors spent about a quarter of their travel budget on retail shopping. Despite this, only 13.5% of the state’s 673,000 tourism jobs were in retail sales. How travelers here spent their money and breakdowns of where state tourism employees worked:

What tourists spent their money on

Percentage of state travel spending

Retail shopping: 23.4%

Ground transportation: 16.8%

Restaurants: 14.3%

Lodging: 14.2%

Air transportation: 13.6%

Recreation: 10.8%

Other*: 6.9%

* Includes money spent at food stores and on travel arrangements.

Where tourism employees worked

Percentage of tourism jobs

Eating and drinking places: 31.0%

Accommodations: 20.4%

Recreation: 14.6%

Retail sales: 13.5%

Air transportation: 7.9%

Other*: 6.8%

Ground transportation: 5.8%

* Includes employment at food stores and travel agencies.

Sources: California Division of Tourism; California Trade and Commerce Agency; Dean Runyan & Associates. Researched by JENNIFER OLDHAM / Los Angeles Times