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In an economic triumph for the city, Anaheim, California’s key tourist destination, shattered previous records in 2022 with an influx of 24.9 million visitors, according to the latest reports. With the city’s appeal reaching new heights, visitor expenditure across Orange County hit an impressive $15.7 billion, affirming tourism as a critical pillar of the local economy.

Visit Anaheim, the city’s official destination organization was instrumental in spearheading this monumental growth. They credited the achievement to robust recovery strategies and several successful destination development projects. These strategies have placed Anaheim at the forefront of vacation planning for tourists worldwide.

Visitors to Anaheim didn’t hold back on their spending in 2022, injecting over $6 billion into the city’s economy. This represents a significant 11.9% uptick compared to 2019, underscoring the post-pandemic recovery of the city. The year also saw a steady 2.9% increase in visitation over 2019, signalling a growing attraction towards Anaheim’s appealing tourist offerings.

A particularly impressive statistic was the strong loyalty shown by Australian visitors. Among the Australians who travelled to Anaheim in 2022, 40.6% were repeat visitors, reflecting the city’s enduring appeal to this group. The average stay for Australians spanned 5.7 days.

Disney-owned attractions unsurprisingly emerged as top draws for Australian visitors. However, their interest also extended to other attractions, including beaches, shopping centres, renowned theme parks, and food destinations. Highlights included Dana Point, Laguna Beach, The Outlets at Orange, Anaheim GardenWalk, Newport Beach, South Coast Plaza, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Fashion Island.

Visit Anaheim’s President & CEO, Jay Burress, enthusiastically commented on the city’s standout year. “Anaheim is proud to serve as the epicenter for tourism in Orange County which delivers great economic benefits for the entire county. The increase in visitor spending also demonstrates the resilience of our local tourism industry.”

The convention industry also played a significant role in this economic boom. In 2022, Anaheim hosted 71 conventions, including prominent events such as NAMM, WonderCon, Natural Products Expo West, VidCon, and more. These events contributed an impressive $1.1 billion to the local economy, supporting 63,000 tourism jobs across the convention centre, theme parks, restaurants, shops, and hotels. By the end of the year, Anaheim recorded an average occupancy rate of 74%.

Reflecting on the future, Burress expressed optimism, “With continued developments at the Disneyland Resort, ocV!BE set to break ground this year, and many more projects in the works, we anticipate Anaheim tourism to continue to positively contribute to the economic vitality of the region in the years to come.”

For more information on Anaheim and to discover the host of hotels, events, and conventions the city offers, visitanaheim.org.