Tourism spending in San Francisco is trending a half-billion higher than last year and will likely break The City’s pre-pandemic record from 2019
San Francisco's stronger convention pipeline is helping fuel a half-billion dollar rise in visitor spending this year that The City's travel marketing agency says is likely to surpass the pre-pandemic record, which was set in 2019.
The San Francisco Travel Association projects The City in 2026 will post a second consecutive year of gains, with 24.2 million people visiting and spending $9.9 billion, up from 23.7 million visitors and $9.4 billion of spending in 2025. This year's total is projected to be about $300 million more than the amount that visitors spent in The City in 2019. Visitation to San Francisco plunged in the wake of the pandemic and has yet to fully recover.
Adjusted for inflation, this year's projection represents about an 80% recovery compared to the pre-pandemic high, an SF Travel spokesperson said. In addition, though this year's dollar figure is expected to be higher, there were 26.2 million visitors in 2019, two million more than are projected for this year. In 2025, San Francisco had 23.7 million visitors who spent $9.4 billion, generating $655 million in tax revenue for The City — $50 million more than the prior year.
Their spending supported 63,900 jobs across hotels, restaurants, retail and cultural institutions, SF Travel said in a press release. The projected bump in spending is getting juice from an increase in the number of events at Moscone Center. In 2026, 38 events are expected to generate more than 674,000 hotel room bookings, up 6% year-over-year. Hotel occupancy is projected to hit 69%.
By contrast, in 2019, Moscone Center-associated room bookings came to nearly 968,000. Last year brought 34 events and 635,000 room nights, which represented a 59% increase in room nights year-over-year. That was up from 25 events and 399,000 hotel room nights in 2024. The average daily rate paid for a hotel room, meanwhile, is projected to hit $257.81 this year, while revenue per available room is anticipated to be $177.85, up 7.9% year over year.
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International tourism has recovered modestly, despite geopolitical and economic factors, SF Travel said, citing data from Tourism Economics indicating overnight visitation from abroad is expected to reach 2.3 million in 2026, up from 2.2 million in 2025, and international visitor spending is projected to rise 5.8% to $5.2 billion. The top five countries sending visitors to The City are Mexico, the United Kingdom, China, Canada, and India.
More than 54.5 million passengers went through San Francisco International Airport in 2025, a 4.3% increase over 2024. New routes added in 2025 include San José, Costa Rica; Adelaide, Australia; and Terceira in the Azores. San Francisco's economy also benefits from major events like Super Bowl LX, which took place in February in Santa Clara, and the six upcoming FIFA World Cup games, to be held this summer, also in Santa Clara, Presutti said.
"They give us the opportunity to showcase our city to a global audience and create a sense of connection with attendees and viewers across the world,” she said. Mayor Daniel Lurie's office issued a press release Thursday touting the new numbers and stating that the"progress bringing visitors back to San Francisco continues Mayor Lurie’s work to accelerate San Francisco’s economic recovery.
" The statement highlighted Lurie's recent visit to China and South Korea, during which it said he celebrated sister city relationships and worked to promote air travel between Shanghai and San Francisco.
Anna Marie Presutti Daniel Lurie Tourism Economics
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