WHY IT RATES: The city of San Francisco reported a 1.4 percent increase in tourism from 2018. – Mackenzie Cullen, Editorial Associate
San Francisco Travel Association released tourism figures for 2019 today at San Francisco Travel’s Marketing Conference at the Mission Bay Conference Center, San Francisco.
San Francisco Travel is reporting a total of 26.2 million visitors to the city in 2019 (with minor adjustments expected as final data is received), up 1.4 percent over 25.8 million in 2018.
Total spending by visitors was $10.2 billion, up 2.7 percent over $10 billion in 2018 (including spending on meetings and conventions).
“This is the tenth consecutive year that we are able to report record-breaking outcomes for San Francisco’s tourism industry. The 26.2 million visitors and $10.2 billion in spending created 86,111 jobs and supported services for people throughout the city and the entire Bay Area,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel.
“Overall, 2019 was another great year. Internationally, the evolving coronavirus situation and other market conditions make 2020 a difficult year to project,” D’Alessandro said.
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) served a total of 57.5 million passengers, a 0.5 percent drop from 2018. International traffic was strong, with a 7.2 percent increase in 2019.
Hotel Occupancy
“Room nights booked and consumed at the Moscone Center exceeded one million in 2019,” D’Alessandro said. “This is only the second year this has ever happened, 2014 being the first.”
Average hotel occupancy was 82.9 percent for 2019, up 0.8 percent, while average daily rates were $276.92, up by 4.7 percent.
International Visitor Volume
International visitors again comprised 28.3 percent of overnight visitors and 61.6 percent of all overnight visitor spending in 2019. San Francisco welcomed 2.9 million international visitors in 2019, up 1.3 percent from 2018.
The top five markets for visitor volume in 2019 were Mexico, China, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. The fastest growing international markets were France, United Kingdom, Italy and Taiwan.
International Visitor Spending
International visitors spent $5.1 billion in 2019, up 3 percent from $4.9 billion in 2018.
The top five markets for visitor spending in 2019 were China, the United Kingdom, India, South Korea and Australia.
International markets with the most growth in spending were France (up 4.8 percent), Mexico (2.7 percent), Taiwan (2.5 percent), South Korea (2.1 percent) and the United Kingdom (2.0 percent).
According to D’Alessandro, international tourism levels were affected by a variety of factors:
– A stronger U.S. dollar, increasing the cost of visiting the United States
– International trade wars
– Tightening credit
Far Reaching Economic Impact
According to the Visitor Study, visitor spending equated to $26.2 million daily or $1.1 million per hour. The average visitor spent $364.94 per day. Convention attendees spent an average of $584.32 per day.
The number of jobs supported by tourism in San Francisco rose 4.3 percent to 86,111 jobs in 2019.
There was an average of 71,805 visitors in San Francisco each day.
The tourism industry generated $819.7 million in taxes and fees for the City of San Francisco in 2019, an increase of 6 percent over the previous year. Major contributors to that figure include hotel tax (51 percent) and property tax (21 percent).
On a per capita basis, visitors spent $10,820 per San Francisco resident. Visitors generated $2,198 in taxes per San Francisco household.
The San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco.
For information on reservations, activities and more, visit www.sftravel.com or call 415-391-2000.
SOURCE: San Francisco Travel press release.
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