SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – At the peak of the pandemic, some 70,000 tourism and hospitality workers lost their jobs in San Diego.
Visitor spending tumbled over 55% from $11.6 billion in 2019 to $5.2 billion 2020, and hotel tax revenue is expected to be down around $70 million for fiscal year 2022.
In short, San Diego lost almost 20 years of economic gains in visitor spending, jobs and tax revenues.
CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority, Julie Coker, joined KUSI’s Lauren Phinney on Good Morning San Diego to discuss how they plan to recover as they prepare for a heavy travel season this Summer.