Anaheim and Orange County Report Robust Visitor Spending in 2013
Leisure and Business Destination Primed for Continued Growth

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, along with CIC Research, have reported year-end visitor figures noting that Orange County attracted 44.4 million visitors (+1.4 percent) in 2013, reflecting an overall increase of about 600,000 visitors to the region.

Visitor spending in Orange County during 2013 jumped nearly 10.1 percent to $9.6 billion, compared to $8.7 billion in 2012. This represents a $900 million year-over-year increase.

The robust growth in Orange County visitor spending has been driven primarily by the increased volume of visitors staying in Orange County hotels, especially leisure visitors staying in area hotels.

Skip Hull, Vice President of CIC Research said, “2013 experienced continued strong growth in Orange County's overnight leisure visitors and spending, which helped to push total visitor sales to $9.6 billion countywide. This marks a full recovery in visitor spending above the prerecession peak, even after adjustment for inflation. The Orange County tourism outlook for 2014 indicates continued but more moderate growth.”

Orange County is located in the center of the populous Southern California region and attracts more than 60 percent of its overnight leisure visitors from the western portion of the United States. International visitors make up approximately 8 percent of all visitors to OC and 13 percent of overnight visitors to the county. Traditionally, international travelers have a great economic impact on the area, because they stay in the region much longer and spend more during their visit.

The city of Anaheim is the hub of OC's tourism industry, attracting a major portion of Orange County's leisure and business visitors. Within Anaheim's city limits are the Disneyland Resort, the Anaheim Convention Center and two professional sports teams (NHL's Ducks and MLB's Angels). According to CIC Research, of the 44.4 million visitors to Orange County in 2013, 18.7 million visited Anaheim. The 18.7 million visitors to Anaheim in 2013 spent $5.8 billion.

“The Anaheim Resort area continues to benefit from the popularity of Disney California Adventure Park's recent enhancements, as well as expanded entertainment offerings and new hotel development in Anaheim and Orange County,” said Jay Burress, president and CEO, Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau.

2013 Orange County Visitor Volume and Spending

     Source: CIC Research, "2013 Orange County Visitor Profile," February 2014.

2013 Orange County Estimates of Visitor Spending by Category*

Preliminary 2013 Residence of Visitors to Orange County

    56%            Southern California

      9%            Northern California

    15%            Western U.S. (outside California)

      5%            Southern U.S.

      4%            Midwestern U.S.

      3%            Northeastern U.S.

      8%            International Visitors

100%            Total

Source: CIC Research, Inc., “2013 Orange County Visitor Survey,” February 2014. (Totals may not sum to 100% due to rounding.)

About Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau


The Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau (AOCVCB) is Anaheim and Orange County's largest destination marketing organization. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Anaheim/Orange County as a premier leisure, convention and meeting destination. More than 44 million travelers visited the Anaheim/Orange County area in 2013, generating more than $9.6 billion in revenue and creating nearly 156,000 tourism-related jobs. For more information, call (714) 765-8888 or visit anaheimoc.org. Follow the AOCVCB on Facebook (AnaheimOC), Twitter (@Anaheim_OC, @MeetAnaheim) and Pinterest (AnaheimOC).

Contact:       

Juan Flores, (714) 765-8854

jflores@anaheimoc.org

Elaine Cali, (714) 760-4450

ecali@anaheimoc.org