From atop San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced in a video released Sunday that tourism spending in California reached a record $150.4 billion last year.
This number surpassed the previous pre-pandemic record of $144.9 billion set in 2019.
San Diego also posted a record amount of tourist spending in 2023. San Diego Tourism Authority CEO Julie Coker told NBC 7 that tourists spent $14.3 billion in San Diego last year.
This total is approximately $1 billion more than last year and $2.7 billion more than 2019.
However, these numbers do not take into account inflation.
For local businesses that have struggled during several downturns due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2023 financial numbers are the numbers they need to recover anyway.
“Getting back on track after COVID-19 and doing it sooner than expected means everything to our small businesses and our neighborhoods,” Coker said. “Coming back means a lot to San Diego's economy, but it also means a lot to San Diego residents.”
When asked if he was surprised that San Diego's tourism numbers had rebounded so quickly, Coker smiled and said, “No, I'm not surprised. We're San Diego. Of course I'm not surprised.”
San Diego accounted for about 10% of the state's total travel spending last year. The number of visitors to San Diego is estimated to be 30 million in 2023.
