Last Thursday, May 15, a jolt of the non-earthquake variety struck California. In a four-to-three decision, the state Supreme Court struck down its ban on same-sex marriage, essentially upholding San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s controversial decision to allow gay marriages in February 2004.

A second jolt came this Tuesday, when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a longtime opponent of gay marriage, remarked, “I hope that California's economy is booming because everyone is going to come here and get married.” Arnold is completely behind the decision.

Schwarzenegger’s support, though unprecedented, is certainly not unfounded. Yesterday, the Bay Area Reporter, the region’s most prominent gay newspaper, cited a 2005 study that found that the legalization of gay marriage could cause a net tourism impact of up to $567.3 million in business revenue and $41.1 million in new sales tax revenues for the state. Calculations like this explain why a mere 11 minutes after the court’s website posted the decision, the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau publicly hailed the justices’ ruling.

There’s no denying that California is already a magnet for gay travelers. San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Palm Springs make up the top four out of 10 most-visited gay destinations, according to an annual survey by gay and lesbian market research firm Community Marketing, Inc. But the legalization of gay marriage here could trigger an influx of brides- and grooms-to-be from coast to coast. David Paisley of Community Marketing, Inc. explains, “Since the court decision did not bar same-sex couples from other states from getting married here (like Massachusetts’s did), gays and lesbians from all over the country will come to California to get married.”

The trend may be substantial enough to affect gay and lesbian travel to Canada, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2003. Last week, gay tourism officials in Vancouver expressed some concern about tourism revenue lost, although they ultimately espoused a more optimistic outlook.

The new law hasn’t gone into effect yet--that takes 30 days. Also, a major downside is a possible overturn by voters if opponents are able to get a bill on the November ballot. But in the meantime, the gay travel industry is looking to California with confidence. Says Paisley:

I think this decision will reinforce the widespread national view that San Francisco is cutting-edge and like nowhere else in the United States…. The city is viewed nationally as something special--and San Francisco tourism has always profited by being a place where everyone can feel free to be themselves.

What do you think about California as a prime gay and lesbian travel destination? Do you feel that a lot of people, gay or straight, come to California to be themselves?