June 16, 2015 -- Napa, CA – In 2014, the Napa Valley welcomed a total of 3.3 million visitors, 13.6 percent of which (448,000) were from international destinations.  In 2012, when the last visitor profile study was conducted, Napa Valley welcomed a total of 238,140 international visitors, representing 8.1 percent of total visitation (2.94 million).  The 2014 figure represents an 88 percent increase in international visitors from 2012, and a total of 209,860 additional international visitors.  

Of these international visitors, nearly one quarter (24.6 percent) were from Canada (110,208 visitors), followed by:

  • China (13.6 percent/60,928 visitors);
  • United Kingdom (11.4 percent/51,072 visitors);
  • Japan (9.8 percent/43,904) visitors);
  • Australia (7.9 percent/35,392 visitors);
  • Germany (5.6 percent/25,088 visitors);
  • Mexico (3.2 percent/15,616 visitors);
  • France (2.7 percent/12,096 visitors);
  • Switzerland (2.4 percent/10,752 visitors);
  • Brazil (2.2 percent/9,856 visitors)
  • “Other countries” (16.6 percent/74,368 visitors)  

“The substantial increase in international visitation to the Napa Valley had a considerable impact on the $64.2 million in tax revenues generated by Napa Valley’s visitor industry in 2014 and further cements the Valley’s position as a world-class destination,” said Clay Gregory, president and CEO for Visit Napa Valley, the official tourism marketing organization for the Napa Valley.  “In the past three years, Visit Napa Valley has greatly increased its international marketing, sales and public relations efforts.  In 2012, we dedicated a manager to travel trade development and now have representation offices in the UK and Australia.  Visit Napa Valley also works very closely with Visit California, the state’s tourism board, and the San Francisco Travel Association, which together have more than a dozen international representation offices,” added Gregory.  

From May 30 - June 3, 2015, Visit Napa Valley participated in the U.S. Travel Association’s 47th annual IPW, the travel industry's premier international marketplace, in Orlando, FL. The annual event is the largest single generator of travel to the U.S., attended by more than 6,500 delegates from 73 countries, including more than 1,300 international and domestic travel buyers and 500 journalists from the U.S. and abroad. Travel initiated by IPW is projected to bring 8.8 million international visitors to the United States, $28 billion in total spending, and $4.7 billion in direct bookings to U.S. destinations over the next three years, according to the independent firm Rockport Analytics. 

In addition to participating in IPW, in 2014-2015 representatives from Visit Napa Valley participated in sales and media missions in Toronto, Canada and Australia/NZ (Brisbane/Sydney/Auckland), as well as a dedicated sales mission in China (Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu) and attended WTM (World Travel Market) in London. 

Since January 2015, the Media Relations team at Visit Napa Valley has hosted sixteen international journalists; including three from Canada; three from Mexico in association with Volaris airlines; six from the U.K., as well as individual journalists from France and Australia.  The travel trade team at Visit Napa Valley hosted nine international groups in 2014-2015, including three from Australia/New Zealand, two from China, and individual groups from Brazil, Korea, the U.K, as well as hosting Visit California’s international Travel Trade representatives from China, Japan, Korea, Canada, Australia and Mexico.

The Economic Impact of Tourism

Tourism is one of the largest industries in the Napa Valley, and supports an estimated 11,776 jobs, with the majority of these jobs in either the hotel or restaurant industries.

In 2014, Napa Valley’s visitor-serving industry generated $64.2 million in tax revenues for governmental entities in Napa County. Taxes directly generated by the visitor-serving industry include revenues from the transient occupancy tax (hotel tax), sales taxes and property and transfer taxes paid on lodging facilities.

On May 26, 2015, Visit Napa Valley announced the findings of its “2014 Napa Valley Visitor Industry Economic Impact” report as well as its “2014 Visitor Profile,” as a result of a yearlong visitor profile study conducted by Destination Analysts.

Airports

San Francisco Airport (SFO) was the most commonly used airport by Napa Valley visitors, representing nearly 70 percent of all visitors. Oakland International Airport received 12.5 percent of visitors, followed by Sacramento International Airport (6.4 percent). The tool most commonly used by visitors to plan their trip to the Napa Valley was the official Napa Valley destination website www.VisitNapaValley.com