Visit Napa Valley releases the
2014 Napa Valley Visitor Industry Economic Impact Report and Visitor Profile
May 26, 2015 -- Napa, CA – Visit Napa Valley is proud to release the findings of its “2014 Napa
Valley Visitor Industry Economic Impact” report as well as its “2014 Visitor Profile” report, as a
result of a yearlong visitor profile study conducted by Destination Analysts.
In 2014, the Napa Valley welcomed a total of 3.3 million visitors, which represents an increase of 11
percent from 2012 (with 2.94 million visitors), when the last Napa Valley visitor profile was
conducted. In 2014, 86.4 percent of visitors were from the United States and 13.6 percent were
international visitors, which represents a more than 88 percent increase in international visitors
from 2012, or 211,000 additional visitors from outside the U.S. Approximately 60 percent of the
increase in visitation to the Napa Valley in 2014 consists of international travelers. 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
In 2014, the Napa Valley visitor industry generated $1.63 billion in total visitor spending inside the
county, most of which was generated from local hotel guests ($1.2 billion, or 72 percent of the
total). Hotel guests spent an average of $389 per person, per day, with the majority of this spending
attributed to wine purchases followed by restaurants. This represents a 10 percent increase from
2012, with an average daily spending of $354 per person, per day. The average visitor spent 1.9
days in the area during their trip, and visitors staying in a lodging property spent an average of 2.9
days in the Napa Valley.
“We’re very pleased with the significant increase in international visitation in 2014, which is a very
positive sign of the increasingly world-class status of the Napa Valley. In addition, we’re encouraged
to see, based on Smith Travel Research data over the last two years (2012 – 2014), that targeting
‘need periods’ with Visit Napa Valley’s marketing and sales efforts is working,” states Clay Gregory,
president and CEO for Visit Napa Valley. “Weekday occupancy has grown one and a half times more
than weekend occupancy, and group and meeting business (virtually all of which takes place on
weekdays) grew two and a half times from 2012 to complement leisure travel. Additionally,
‘Cabernet Season’ (November through April) occupancy has grown nearly six times more than
occupancy during peak season, which is May through October.”
Visit Napa Valley | 1001 Second Street, Suite 330 | Napa, CA 94559
(707) 226-5813 | www.VisitNapaValley.com | Media@VisitNapaValley.com
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 industry generated $64.2 million in tax revenues for governmental
entities in Napa County. Taxes directly generated by the visitor industry include revenues from the
transient occupancy tax (hotel tax), sales taxes and property and transfer taxes paid on lodging
facilities.
2014 Napa Valley Visitor Profile Results
The research surveys for the 2014 Napa Valley Visitor Profile consists of three parts: a Napa Valley
lodging guest survey; a Napa Valley visitor intercept survey of day-trip visitors and those staying
with friends and relatives; and a telephone survey of Napa County homeowners to quantify visitors
staying in private homes.
Key Findings

The average Napa Valley visitor in 2014 was 39.4 years of age. More than 60 percent of survey
respondents were 35 years of age or older, with the single largest group being millennials.

Napa Valley visitors are an affluent group with more than half (50.5 percent) of the survey
respondents reporting an annual household income of more than $100,000 or more, with an
average annual income of $165,070.

Napa Valley visitors are highly educated, with 73.2 percent having a bachelor’s degree and 28
percent who completed graduate school.
Repeat Visitation
The Napa Valley draws a substantial amount of repeat visitation, with the average visitor in 2014
making 2.3 trips to the Napa Valley in the past twelve months. Nearly 93 percent of visitors stated
that they were “very likely” or “likely” to return to the Napa Valley. The top responses to the
survey’s open-ended question “What would enhance the Napa Valley?” was “it’s great as it is and
does not need any improvements.”
Purpose of Visit
Visitors stated the primary reason for visiting the Napa Valley was for leisure purposes (a weekend
getaway or vacation), representing 73 percent of all visitors. Personal travel and wedding or
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special events each represented nearly 10 percent of all visitors, with nearly five percent of the
visitors coming to the Napa Valley for business travel.
Napa Valley Towns Visited
While visitors to the Napa Valley tend to visit multiple towns within the area, the City of Napa
received the highest number of visitors in 2014.

City of Napa:
67 percent

St. Helena:
59.6 percent

Calistoga:
46.3 percent

Yountville:
44.1 percent

Oakville:
29 percent

Rutherford:
26.9 percent

Carneros area:
10.1 percent

American Canyon:
7.6 percent

Lake Berryessa area: 5.6 percent

Angwin:
3.7 percent
Napa Valley Attractions and Experiences
Napa Valley’s wine (39.8 percent) and scenic beauty (37.9 percent) were what appealed most to
visitors in 2014, followed by weather (11.6 percent); and food and restaurants (9.3 percent). While
the Napa Valley offers many unique experiences for visitors, visiting wineries and/or tasting rooms
remains the most popular visitor experience. Below is a breakdown of how Napa Valley
experiences were ranked in the 2014 visitor profile study.

Visiting wineries and/or tasting rooms: 82.3 percent

Dining in restaurants: 69.4 percent

Winery tours: 52.6 percent

Shopping: 40.3 percent

Spa treatments: 12.1 percent

Napa Valley Wine Train: 10.3 percent

Nightlife: 10.1 percent

Art: 8.6 percent

Farmer’s markets: 8.5 percent

Guided tours: 8.3 percent

State or local parks: 8 percent

Culinary activities: 7.6 percent

Hiking: 6.2 percent
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
Festivals or special events: 4.7 percent

Biking: 3.4 percent

Hot air ballooning: 2.8 percent

Golf: 1.7 percent
Wineries and/or Tasting Rooms
More than half of the visitors surveyed experienced three or more wineries and/or tasting rooms
during their visit (56.7 percent). Nearly 70 percent of these visitors did not make advance
appointments while 30.7 percent of the visitors made prior reservations. Nearly one third of these
visitors (29.7 percent) joined a Wine Club during their visit and two thirds of the lodging guests
surveyed (66.5 percent) purchased wine to take home. The majority of day-trip visitors (68.2
percent) reported that they were “very likely” or “likely” to purchase wine to take home.
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).
Find the full reports here.
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About Visit Napa Valley
Visit Napa Valley is the official tourism marketing organization for the Napa Valley, with a mission
to promote, protect and enhance the region’s position as one of the world's premier wine, food, arts
and wellness destinations. The area, known for its legendary hospitality, is also internationally
recognized as one of only eight "Great Wine Capitals" and has more Michelin Stars per capita than
any other wine region in the world.
The Napa Valley, conveniently located just an hour from the San Francisco Bay Area, consists of the
following distinctive towns, including, from north to south, Calistoga, St. Helena,
Rutherford/Oakville, Yountville, the city of Napa, American Canyon, and the outdoor recreation
area of Lake Berryessa.
The Napa Valley Welcome Center, located at 600 Main St. along the riverfront in downtown Napa,
provides visitors with expert Concierge services from Napa Valley Ambassadors who offer
complimentary Napa Valley Guidebooks, maps, brochures and winery tasting passes. The Welcome
Center, open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., also offers complimentary Wi-Fi and a mercantile shop featuring
locally sourced gift items.
For additional information on the Napa Valley, or to plan your Napa Valley experience, please
explore www.VisitNapaValley.com, join "The Napa Valley" on Facebook, and follow
@VisitNapaValley on Twitter.
Media Contacts:
Angela Jackson, Director of Media Relations
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Visit Napa Valley
Angela@visitnapavalley.com
707-260-0114
Jennifer Singer, Social Media and Communications Manager
Visit Napa Valley
Jennifer@visitnapavalley.com
707-260-0089
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