Advocating for Sustainable Tourism at CalTravel Tourism Advocacy Days

This week, Visit Truckee-Tahoe joined tourism leaders from across the state in Sacramento for California Travel Association’s Tourism Advocacy Days. This was an opportunity to come together as an industry, share the importance of tourism in our communities, and advocate for policies that support California’s sustainable visitor economy.

Alongside partners from Ski California, North Tahoe Community Alliance, Visit Redding, and Visit Butte County, we met with the offices of Senator Brian Dahle, Assemblymember Heather Hadwick, and Assemblymember James Gallagher to discuss issues impacting rural destinations, local economies and tourism businesses.

These conversations reinforced the importance of ensuring destinations like Truckee have a seat at the table when decisions are being made that affect our communities, environment, and visitor economy.

Tourism’s Impact Across California

During Advocacy Days, CalTravel shared updated statewide tourism data highlighting the critical role tourism continues to play in California’s economy:

• Visitors spent $158.9 billion statewide in 2025
• Tourism supported 1.2 million jobs
• Visitor spending generated $13.6 billion in state and local tax revenue

For communities like Truckee, tourism helps sustain local businesses, supports jobs, and contributes funding that benefits residents and visitors alike.

Key Advocacy Priorities Discussed

This year’s advocacy conversations focused on legislation and initiatives aimed at supporting a healthy, competitive, and sustainable tourism industry throughout California.

Supporting SB 690

One of the bills CalTravel and tourism partners supported was SB 690 (Caballero), which seeks to clarify California privacy law and protect businesses from costly litigation tied to standard website tools such as cookies and analytics technologies.

The bill aims to ensure California’s consumer privacy framework remains clear and enforceable while reducing unnecessary legal burdens on businesses operating online.

Opposing AB 1869

We also discussed opposition to AB 1869 (Haney), legislation that could impact hotel ownership and management structures involving Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). According to CalTravel, the proposal could increase operational costs, create legal uncertainty, and potentially discourage future hotel investment and development across California.

Looking Ahead: California Events Fund

Another topic gaining momentum was the proposed concept for a future California Events Fund, which CalTravel plans to pursue legislatively in 2027. The idea would reinvest a portion of incremental tax revenue generated by major events back into attracting and supporting future events statewide — helping California remain competitive with other states that already offer event incentive programs.

Collaboration Across the Industry

One of the most valuable parts of Advocacy Days was the collaboration among destinations, businesses, and tourism organizations from every corner of California. While each region faces unique opportunities and challenges, there was a shared commitment to ensuring tourism continues to thrive responsibly and sustainably.

We left Sacramento feeling energized, hopeful, and grateful for the opportunity to advocate on behalf of Truckee and the broader tourism industry.

Thank you to CalTravel for bringing the industry together and creating space for meaningful dialogue, education, and advocacy.