Greater Ontario’s hospitality industry back to prepandemic levels

Hospitality and tourism reaffirmed its critical role as an economic driver across Greater Ontario this past year, contributing $96.57 million to the local economy and outperforming the industry as a whole, according to an annual report released Thursday by Greater Ontario California (GOCAL).

The report showed Greater Ontario’s hospitality industry returning to pre-pandemic levels during the 2022-23 fiscal year, as the region emerged as Southern California’s fastest-growing destination. Today, Greater Ontario’s Tourism Marketing District features 68 hotels and 6,749 hotel rooms, and is the hub of a growing Inland Empire hospitality scene that employs more than 180,000 workers and generates $1.2 billion a year in local and state tax revenues.

Ontario International Airport alone generates $3.8 billion a year in economic impact, according to a recent study by Oxford Economics.

“Our Inland Empire region, and particularly here in Greater Ontario, is the new center of Southern California. It’s where people are coming to live. It’s where people are coming to work. And it’s where visitors from all over the world are coming to enjoy themselves,” said Michael Krouse, GOCAL’s Chief Executive Officer.

This past spring, GOCAL rebranded itself – it had been the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau – to better leverage the tourism and hospitality opportunities across the region. According to data presented at Thursday’s Annual Report presentation at the Ontario Convention Center:

o Greater Ontario’s Tourism Marketing District is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and in that time has generated $809.8 million in economic impact.

o International visitors to Greater Ontario stayed in the area for 3.2 days, on average. 82.1% were overnight visitors and 26.2% of those were repeat visitors. Domestic visitors stayed in the area for 2.8 days, on average. 78% were overnight visitors, and 38.7% of those were repeat visitors.

o Ontario Mills Mall, Victoria Gardens and the Ontario Convention Center ranked among the largest draws to the area.

o Ontario International Airport is on track to serve 6 million passengers this year, the highest since 2008 – years before the airport’s 2016 return to local control. In June, ONT set a record for passenger volume, welcoming more than 559,000 travelers, including an all-time high of 37,000 international travelers.