California’s travel and tourism industry is a leading economic engine for the state. As the industry continues to grow it’s no surprise that the largest component of the travel and tourism industry – leisure and hospitality – has recently added 9,000 new jobs, more than any other industry.

California’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent in May from 9 percent in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The leisure and hospitality industry added the most jobs.

The May rate is the lowest unemployment in California since November 2008.

Tourism and hospitality grows in hiring people and cannot be replaced with than machines and technology – to grow.

In a report released earlier this month, tourism was shown to drive more than 200 million people to visit California in 2012, which created direct travel spending to more $106.4 billion.

The increase in tourism spending was up 3 three percent from $101.8 billion in 2011, according to the report by Dean Runyan Associates.