Los Angeles Steps Up With San Francisco, San Diego and Other California Cities in Witnessing a Rebound in Canadian Tourist Arrivals in September 2026

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Los Angeles steps up with San Francisco, San Diego and other California cities in witnessing a rebound in Canadian tourist arrivals in September 2026, driven by renewed travel demand and stronger international connectivity. San Diego led with 30.81% growth, followed by San Francisco at 11.69% and Los Angeles at 7.04%, signalling improving tourism momentum despite a 4.57% decline in combined arrivals during the first nine months.

California’s tourism industry showed signs of recovery in September 2026 as Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego recorded year-over-year increases in Canadian-origin arrivals. San Diego led the rebound with growth of 30.81%, followed by San Francisco at 11.69% and Los Angeles at 7.04%. However, Palm Springs remained slightly below its September 2025 level, while the four destinations collectively continued to report fewer arrivals during the first nine months of 2026.

The September figures mark an encouraging development for California’s tourism economy after a challenging period characterised by weaker arrival numbers across several major destinations. According to the supplied foreign-originating arrivals data, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Palm Springs collectively recorded 121,721 arrivals in September 2026, compared with 110,160 in September 2025. This represents an increase of 11,561 arrivals, equivalent to approximately 10.49%.

The recovery was particularly noticeable in San Diego, where September arrivals increased by nearly one-third compared with the previous year. San Francisco also recorded double-digit growth, while Los Angeles returned to positive annual territory following eight consecutive months of declines.

Despite this improvement, the longer-term picture remains mixed. Between January and September 2026, the four California destinations recorded a combined 1,054,032 arrivals, compared with 1,104,487 during the corresponding period of 2025. The nine-month reduction of 50,455 arrivals demonstrates that September’s improvement has not yet reversed the cumulative decline.

The contrast between a strong September and weaker year-to-date performance highlights the importance of examining both monthly developments and longer-term tourism trends.

September 2026 Shows a Turning Point in California’s Canadian-Origin Arrival Trends

The September results reveal a striking difference between the latest monthly performance and the broader nine-month trend. Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego all recorded positive annual growth, while Palm Springs experienced a marginal decline of 0.76%.

September Canadian-Origin Arrivals Across Four California Destinations

San Francisco contributed the largest absolute increase, adding 5,721 arrivals compared with September 2025. Los Angeles followed with 3,652 additional arrivals, while San Diego gained 2,205.

San Diego’s growth rate was substantially higher than those of the other destinations, although its smaller arrival base makes percentage changes more pronounced.

Palm Springs was the exception, recording 17 fewer arrivals than in September 2025. Its performance illustrates why California’s recovery cannot yet be described as uniform across every destination.

These figures should also be considered alongside broader industry research. Visit California reported that Canada was the state’s largest international air-arrival source market in August 2026, with 77,110 arrivals, up 3% year over year. However, its statewide tourism forecast still anticipates a 6.5% decline in Canadian visitation across 2026.

The distinction is important: improving arrivals in selected monthly datasets do not necessarily mean that California’s overall Canadian visitor market has fully recovered.

Los Angeles – September Growth Ends Eight Months of Declining Annual Comparisons

Los Angeles delivered one of the most important changes in the September figures, recording its first positive year-over-year comparison of 2026.

The destination registered 55,502 Canadian-origin arrivals in September, compared with 51,850 during the same month in 2025. This represents an increase of 3,652 arrivals, equivalent to 7.04%.

The improvement followed eight consecutive months of negative annual growth, including a 14.63% decline in May, a 10.28% reduction in July and a smaller 1.45% decline in August.

For a destination with Los Angeles’ international tourism profile, the September improvement is noteworthy. The city attracts visitors through Hollywood, major entertainment attractions, beaches, cultural experiences, shopping districts and its role as a gateway to Southern California.

However, the significance of the rebound becomes clearer when examining the complete nine-month record.

Los Angeles Canadian-Origin Arrivals, January–September 2026

Los Angeles recorded 453,474 arrivals during the first nine months of 2026, compared with 484,086 in 2025. The reduction of 30,612 arrivals means that September’s growth was not sufficient to eliminate the earlier shortfall.

The most encouraging development is the progression between August and September. While August remained marginally negative on an annual basis, September moved decisively into positive territory.

This suggests improving late-summer performance within the supplied arrival series, although additional months of growth would be needed to establish a sustained recovery.

For hotels, attractions, retailers and destination marketing organisations, the improvement offers a reason to monitor Canadian demand closely. Nevertheless, the figures alone cannot establish whether visitor spending, accommodation bookings or average trip duration also increased.

San Francisco – September Arrivals Rise 11.69% as the City Outperforms Other Major California Markets

San Francisco entered September in a stronger year-to-date position than Los Angeles, San Diego or Palm Springs. While the other three destinations had accumulated substantial annual declines, San Francisco maintained modest growth across the first eight months and strengthened its performance considerably in September.

The city recorded 54,651 Canadian-origin arrivals in September 2026, compared with 48,930 in September 2025. The increase of 5,721 arrivals represented growth of 11.69%, making San Francisco the largest contributor to the four-destination September increase in absolute terms.

This performance followed relatively small annual declines in July and August, when arrivals fell 0.61% and 1.02%, respectively. September therefore represented a reversal of the immediate summer trend.

San Francisco Canadian-Origin Arrivals, January–September 2026

San Francisco recorded 425,172 arrivals during January–September 2026, an increase of 5,557 compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

The city therefore emerged as the only destination among the four examined to achieve positive cumulative annual growth.

San Francisco’s tourism economy benefits from internationally recognised attractions such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz Island and its waterfront districts. The wider Bay Area also supports business travel, technology-sector activity, conferences and cultural tourism.

According to California’s state government, visitor spending in San Francisco reached US$14.2 billion in 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. That wider economic performance provides context for the city’s importance within California tourism, although it does not establish how much of the September 2026 increase came from Canadian leisure visitors.

The September figures suggest that San Francisco was comparatively resilient within the supplied Canadian-origin arrival series. Its annual increase was large enough to exceed the cumulative gains achieved earlier in the year.

However, it would be premature to attribute the improvement to a specific marketing campaign, airline development or event without supporting evidence.

San Diego – Canadian-Origin Arrivals Surge 30.81% After a Difficult First Half

San Diego recorded the strongest percentage increase among the four California destinations in September 2026, with arrivals rising 30.81% year over year.

The city welcomed 9,361 recorded Canadian-origin arrivals, compared with 7,156 in September 2025. This represents an increase of 2,205 arrivals and marks the third consecutive month of positive annual growth.

The September performance is particularly significant because San Diego experienced substantial declines during the first six months of 2026.

January arrivals fell 26.21% year over year, while February recorded a 24.83% decline. Negative annual comparisons continued through June, creating a substantial cumulative shortfall.

The trend changed in July, when arrivals increased 7.25%. August delivered further growth of 12.03%, followed by September’s much stronger increase.

San Diego Canadian-Origin Arrivals, January–September 2026

Despite three consecutive months of recovery, San Diego’s January–September arrivals remained 7.45% below the previous year’s level.

The city recorded 81,525 arrivals, compared with 88,083 in 2025, leaving a shortfall of 6,558.

This demonstrates how significant early-year losses can continue to influence cumulative tourism performance even after several months of improvement.

San Diego’s visitor economy benefits from its Pacific coastline, beaches, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, waterfront attractions and family-oriented leisure experiences. Its proximity to the Mexican border also gives the region a distinctive international travel profile.

The September increase is encouraging for tourism businesses seeking stronger international demand, particularly following the earlier declines.

However, the city’s impressive percentage growth must be interpreted in relation to its smaller September 2025 base. An increase of 2,205 arrivals produced growth of more than 30%, whereas San Francisco’s larger absolute increase of 5,721 translated into a lower percentage rate.

San Diego’s three consecutive positive months provide stronger evidence of improving momentum than a single-month rebound would. Even so, continued growth would be necessary before the city could recover its full nine-month shortfall.

Palm Springs – Desert Tourism Remains Under Pressure Despite a Smaller September Decline

Palm Springs presents a different picture from California’s three larger destinations. While Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego recorded September growth, Palm Springs remained marginally below its previous-year level.

The destination registered 2,207 Canadian-origin arrivals in September 2026, compared with 2,224 in September 2025. The difference of just 17 arrivals represented a 0.76% annual decline.

Although this was a relatively small reduction, Palm Springs’ wider nine-month performance reveals a more substantial challenge.

The destination recorded negative annual growth in eight of the first nine months of 2026. July was the only exception, when arrivals increased 44.97% from a comparatively low base.

Palm Springs Canadian-Origin Arrivals, January–September 2026

Palm Springs recorded 93,861 arrivals during January–September 2026, compared with 112,703 during the corresponding period in 2025.

The reduction of 18,842 arrivals represented a 16.72% annual decline, the steepest cumulative percentage reduction among the four destinations.

Palm Springs has a distinctive seasonal tourism profile. Its desert climate, golf resorts, wellness retreats, luxury accommodation and outdoor recreation attract visitors seeking warmer conditions during the northern winter.

This seasonal pattern is visible in the arrival figures. January, February and March accounted for 66,548 arrivals in 2026, approximately 71% of the destination’s nine-month total.

Those same three months recorded a combined decline of 14,415 arrivals compared with 2025. This accounted for more than three-quarters of Palm Springs’ total nine-month shortfall.

The figures suggest that weaker winter and early-spring arrivals were far more consequential for Palm Springs than its modest September reduction.

Although September’s annual decline narrowed to less than 1%, the destination would require stronger performance during its principal winter travel season to reverse the cumulative trend.

Los Angeles steps up with San Francisco, San Diego and other California cities in witnessing a rebound in Canadian tourist arrivals in September 2026, driven by renewed travel demand, with growth of 7.04%, 11.69% and 30.81%, respectively.

In conclusion, Los Angeles steps up with San Francisco, San Diego and other California cities in witnessing a rebound in Canadian tourist arrivals in September 2026, supported by improving international travel demand. Growth of 7.04% in Los Angeles, 11.69% in San Francisco and 30.81% in San Diego signals renewed tourism momentum. However, the combined 4.57% decline during January–September highlights the need for sustained recovery, stronger visitor engagement and continued growth to restore California’s Canadian tourism market.