I spent New Years weekend in Palm Springs going on day trips to Joshua Tree National Park. It was PACKED. The park is absolutely beautiful and everyone should check it out sometime. It's an almost alien landscape.
My hotel was full as well in Palm Springs. The only thin open late and popping was the Indian casino. They did check temps and make sure people had masks, but otherwise it felt like Vegas on a normal busy weekend.
Considering how many immigrants and children of immigrants live in the US, even if the people you saw seemed very diverse they could maybe have been primarily US citizens not foreign tourists?
My hotel was full as well in Palm Springs. The only thin open late and popping was the Indian casino. They did check temps and make sure people had masks, but otherwise it felt like Vegas on a normal busy weekend.