AVALON, Calif. — Catalina Island sits 22 miles off the Southern California coast and is home to about 4,000 year-round residents. It’s a quick escape for Angelenos who want a break from the city and a reliable stop for tourists looking for a classic California getaway. But that 22 miles doesn’t completely remove Catalina Island from the Los Angeles bustle. With the 2028 Olympics approaching, the island is bracing for what many expect to be a surge of visitors seeking relief from the congestion, noise, and chaos that will hit the mainland during the Games.
While Catalina Island won’t host any Olympic competitions, the Games are still expected to reshape the island’s summer traffic, economy, and overall visibility. With Long Beach hosting multiple events and ferry ports likely to face road closures or heavy congestion, island leaders have begun planning for ripple effects that could reach well beyond the waterfront. They describe the Olympics as both an opportunity to attract new visitors and a logistical challenge that will require coordination across transportation, tourism, and local businesses.
“Olympic impacts for Catalina Island include both the probability of increased visitation and visibility,” said Jim Lüttjohann, President and CEO of the Love Catalina Island Tourism Authority.
Lüttjohann said Olympic organizers have already contacted island transportation and hotel companies about the possibility of housing teams or support staff on Catalina, though the logistics have been “too cumbersome” for commitments so far. Still, the interest alone reflects how Catalina is being considered in the broader Los Angeles tourism landscape.
“Catalina is an amazing destination for athletes and teams when not competing, as well as for consumers visiting the Los Angeles area for the games,” Lüttjohann said. “And we look forward to welcoming them with open arms.” For a place that runs on tourism and prides itself on being friendly to newcomers, the arrival of visitors feels like a natural extension of the island’s everyday way of life.
Although Catalina holds only 4,000 people year-round, by July, crowds multiply, ferries run back-to-back, and the population can swell to five times its usual size. On the busiest days, like the 4th of July, 15,000 – 20,000 visitors can be found on the island.
“The events that happen in the Los Angeles area can create a really positive spillover effect for tourism for the island,” said Avalon Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Lavelle, who also works in operations for Catalina Tours and Food Tours.
Residents across Los Angeles County — from Santa Monica, Long Beach, to the San Fernando Valley — have expressed anxiety about traffic, crowding, and major disruptions during the Games. For many locals, Catalina already serves as a convenient escape.
For the islanders, they expect a mix of L.A. residents looking to avoid the city’s chaos and international visitors who want to add an adventure to their trip. Some will come for a quiet escape, others for a day of hiking or snorkeling, and many just to see a different side of Southern California beyond the Olympic venues.
Luckily, the natural limit on how many people can reach Catalina may actually work in its favor. Catalina Express ferries and island helicopters operate under strict capacity rules: the largest ferry holds 449 passengers, and the full fleet can carry about 2,026 people at maximum load. Even with expanded helicopter service during the Olympics, aviation capacity caps at roughly 100 passengers per hour.
Tourism may be the island’s lifeblood, but its infrastructure is finite. Lavelle said the high cost of hotels and vacation rentals has already pushed some visitors to skip overnight stays altogether. Catalina has 733 hotel rooms that can sleep about 1,747 guests, plus roughly 368 short-term rentals spread across Avalon’s hills and flats, Hamilton Cove, and Two Harbors. “The capacity is there to hold quite a few people,” she said. Campsites and boat moorings fill quickly, and their availability often shifts with weather and harbor conditions.
“There is a little bit of an unknown with people on private boats and private planes, but it’s usually not to the number where it makes it so untenable that it becomes uncomfortable,” Lavelle said, I will say, certain days where we have all of those people and cruise ships in town, it can get a little bit crazy.” She added that those peak days offer a preview of what parts of the Olympic season might feel like: busy, unpredictable, and packed with visitors arriving from everywhere.
Lüttjohann also noted that there’s awareness and concern that travelers will face traffic and parking issues while visiting the island during the Games. He said island officials have already been in communication with the Los Angeles Tourism Office about potential road closures near ferry ports, traffic mitigation plans, and even the possibility of setting up remote Olympic viewing areas in Catalina.
In Avalon’s compact downtown, where restaurants and tours operate within walking
distance of the harbor, business owners are preparing for the influx of people.
“My family has been running the shop since 2003,” said Colin Eubank, who co-owns Catalina Coffee & Cookie Co. with his mother, Erin. “I grew up around the business, helping out as soon as I was tall enough to see over the counter.”
Colin now oversees operations, a position he stepped into during the pandemic, and says the Olympics will likely amplify the island’s already intense summer rhythm. “Catalina has established itself as an attractive excursion for visitors to Southern California and local Angelenos alike,” he said. “Having the 2028 Olympic Games hosted in L.A. will bring a notable spike in tourism for the entirety of the year.”
His mom, Erin Eubank — who also co-owns Catalina Tours, Catalina Food Tours, and several other island businesses — said the goal is simply to make sure visitors can find what they need. “We want to catch the visitors who want something outside the city,” she said. “We just need to be ready so people can actually find us in the mix of what they’re looking for.”
Even with natural caps on tourism, transportation companies are making adjustments. Maverick Helicopters is expected to expand operations to move passengers quickly between L.A. venues and the island. Lüttjohann said their daily flights already play a key role in getting visitors on and off Catalina.
Catalina Tours already offers transportation-and-lodging packages, guided experiences, school groups, corporate groups, and custom itineraries. The company is planning “Olympic side-trip” promotions and expects to push hard during the months leading up to the Games. This is reflected in most businesses on the island, looking to profit from the games.
Island leaders are also thinking about long-term. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Los Angeles, is expected to bring many of the same challenges and opportunities.
For many on the island, the 2028 Olympics represent something bigger than tourism revenue. They see the Games as a chance for Catalina to gain visibility, strengthen community partnerships, and show off what makes the island unique.
Catalina won’t host medal ceremonies or light an Olympic torch. But as Los Angeles
braces for millions of visitors, the island’s calm harbor and beautiful scenery may become one of Southern California’s most sought-after escapes, and an unexpected winner of the 2028 Games.
