California Coastal Tourism Shatters Records, Fuels Economic Surge

California's coastal tourism sector hit a milestone with 19,062,854 visitors to state parks and beaches in 2019, according to the Coastal Recreation Report by the Middlebury Institute.[1] The Bay Area's Sonoma Coast and Tomales Bay state parks each drew 3.4 million visitors, topping the list, while Sonoma County Parks logged 1.3 million attendees, led by Doran County Park's 1 million.[1] Southern coastal regions saw the highest trip volumes at over 109.8 million annually, averaging under two days per visit.[1] This surge underscores coastal California's draw, from San Francisco's bays to San Diego's shores, initially highlighted by 10News San Diego.