The City By The Bay Expects A Rise In Visitors For The Future
However, much like the almost-daily fog that coats “the City,” there is optimism rising up from the bay.
The San Francisco Travel Association is forecasting visitor volume to recover to 23.1 million for 2022 (an increase of 45 percent from 2021) and visitor spending to improve from $2.7 billion in 2020 to $3.9 billion (up 49%).
Those are hardly robust numbers for such such a big tourist destination, but it is certainly a solid sign of a recovery in tourism.
Visitor spending for the region is projected to reach $9.9 billion for 2021, up 39.3 percent from the previous year but still down 50 percent to 2019. In 2022, spending expected to grow 49 percent to $14.7 billion, which is still down 25 percent from 2019.
“While we are encouraged by the first signs of recovery that we are seeing in 2021 compared to 2020, the unknowns related to the delta variant, and the persistence of global travel restrictions for tourists, make reliable projections for the winter and the year ahead very difficult,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel.
We will certainly continue to move forward on the road to recovery in 2022, but the road might remain bumpy as long as conventions are not fully back and international tourists unable to visit San Francisco.”
Still, there is reason for optimism. Jon Kimball, area general manager for Marriott International and current San Francisco Travel Board Chair, said
“If nothing else, this crisis has demonstrated the importance of connections and community. We’ve seen businesses working together, working with the City, and working across neighborhoods and even regions to find new ways to keep doors open, keep staff employed, and keep servicing customers.”
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