(UnitedVoice.com) – California is a hot spot for tourism, with some of the most popular National Parks and cities in the country. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) recently released a video bragging about the tourism in his state and was brutally roasted over it.
On May 5, Newsom posted a video that showed him at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge — literally. It appeared that he climbed to the top of the bridge’s famous golden towers to tout the “$150 billion of tourism spent, unprecedented in [California’s] history.” He spoke to people who haven’t been to the Golden State and told them it’s time to make the trip.
California’s tourism just hit an ALL TIME HIGH. pic.twitter.com/98syiCUSCt
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 5, 2024
X, formerly Twitter, users immediately started roasting the Democratic governor. One of them joked that the tourists visiting the state are all of the people who moved away and are coming back to visit their families. Another asked if he was “calling the millions of illegals invading California tourists?”
One man asked if the governor was also Spider-Man.
Is the @CAgovernor also Spider-Man? https://t.co/HA50nr9LUI
— Dan Thorn (@DanThorn_) May 5, 2024
California spent an all-time high of $150.4 billion on tourism last year. That beat the previous year’s record of $144.9 billion. The state allegedly has the largest market share of tourism.
Even though California has spent more money on tourism, some cities are still having trouble. San Francisco, for example, received $37.7 billion for tourism spending last year, which was down from $39 billion in 2019. This has hurt businesses trying to recover from the national health crisis.
Pier 23 Cafe owner Mac Leibert told CBS News that business owners are “waiting for the tourists to come…it’s not happening.” He said his business is down about 30% compared to 2019. Maneet Sohal, who owns San Francisco Deluxe Tours, said his business was down 40% in 2023 from where it was in 2019. Another business owner said the problem has been a decrease in international tourism.
While Newsom brags and pats himself on the back, business owners are struggling to survive.
Copyright 2024, UnitedVoice.com
