Anaheim and Orange County set records for tourism last year, officials announced Tuesday.
Tourism officials estimated 47.3 million visitors came to Orange County. The final numbers are not confirmed, but Anaheim saw about 22.5 million visitors, an increase of 3.5 percent over 2014.
Officials said Anaheim tourism has grown by about 30 percent since 2011. The 2015 rate is the third year in a row the record for the city was broken, and it was the second year in a row the record was broken for the county, officials said.
The Visit Anaheim organization, which also includes Garden Grove, announced that the city’s visitors added $7.3 billion to the county’s economy, an uptick of 8 percent over 2014. Tourists spent $11.3 billion countywide, an increase of 6.3 percent over 2014, officials. said.
The biggest gain was with tourists from abroad.
“Anaheim’s rebirth is in full swing,” said Jay Burress, president and chief executive of Visit Anaheim. “The preliminary visitor data clearly indicates that tourists are coming to our destination in droves for the unexpected, magical experience only Anaheim can offer. Anaheim’s transformation has opened the door to so many new visitors from all around the world, coming here for their first or 60th time. The massive development happening all around the city has positioned us to welcome even more visitors in the upcoming years – adding diverse hotel offerings, more family-friendly activities, exciting nightlife outposts and public transportation options.”
–City News Service