The AGS ‘2020B’ release in November will include the fruits of our lockdown efforts over these past few months, most of which have been leaked on these pages. Earlier this year, we debuted a new data set: Non-Resident Population. On any given night in a normal year, upwards of nine million people are found in hotels, second homes, the homes of friends and family, in recreational vehicles, or camping. The impact of the non-resident population on a site – restaurant or retail – can be substantial, often proving to be the difference of locational success and failure. AGS’ new Non-Residential Population database, which includes annual and quarterly estimate of where those tourists can be found, bridges an important gap in the analytical toolbox of site analysts. The 2020B release will feature updated Non-Resident Population data.

We looked at the Los Angeles area, specifically looking at the ratio of non-residents to residents, which you can see on the map below. To create this map, we used the grid level of geography, and overlaid it on Google’s terrain layer.

Of course, when people think about Los Angeles and tourism, they likely think of a few things: Disneyland, the beach, and Hollywood. Unsurprisingly, those attractions, and the mountain areas that many come to ski and snowboard on, are all tourist hot spots. Catalina Island, just off the coast, also proves to be tourist heavy.

We also see tourism activity is heavy on Lake Sherwood and in Westlake Village, California (located in Ventura County). In those areas, it is likely second homes in these areas that drive up the Non-Resident Population.

Low tourism activity can mainly be found in the suburbs of Los Angeles, in Ventura County, Riverside, and Palmdale, where most tourism is likely visiting friends and family.

Knowing where tourists go—and what part of the year they go there—is a critical part of any demographic-based marketing and site selection strategy.

Be on the lookout for the update to Non-Resident Population, and the rest of the 2020B update including our new five-year CrimeRisk projections and wildfire risk, coming in November.