International Visitation to the Napa Valley Increased by 88 Percent in 2014
with 448,800 International Visitors
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.
Visit Napa Valley | 1001 Second Street, Suite 330 | Napa, CA 94559
(707) 226-5813 | www.VisitNapaValley.com | Media@VisitNapaValley.com
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. Find the full reports here.
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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
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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
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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